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The mystery of the untouched lawmaker at the heart of Qatargate

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

The mystery of the untouched lawmaker at the heart of QatargateBelgian police place Maria Arena at the heart of the corruption ring in the European Parliament — but have not questioned her.By EDDY WAXin BrusselsBRUSSELS — A few months before confessing to the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the European Parliament, Pier Antonio Panzeri had some advice for a friend.“Don’t put yourself out of the game,” Panzeri told the Belgian MEP Maria Arena in August 2022 during a meal at the now-defunct Salvarino pizzeria in Brussels. “Because if you are in the game, then I am going to amass more money.”Unbeknownst to the pair, Belgian spies were taping their conversation as part of an investigation into what would become known as Qatargate, according to a police summary of a declassified secret services report seen by POLITICO.Four months later, Panzeri, a former MEP, was arrested and accused of being at the center of a bribery ring pushing the interests of Morocco, Qatar and Maurita...

Macron takes on Orbán in bid to avoid disastrous Ukraine summit

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

The EU is in panic mode, a week before a key summit where it will discuss major decisions for the future of Ukraine. The reason is by now a familiar one: Viktor Orbán. The Hungarian prime minister has such an entrenched position on Ukraine — and a lot more besides — that EU diplomats and officials struggle to see what, or who, can change his mind. Enter French President Emmanuel Macron, never a man to shy from a diplomatic challenge.Macron hosts Orbán for dinner on Thursday evening and will attempt to forge a compromise ahead of next week’s summit in Brussels. There, EU leaders are set to make a historic decision on bringing Ukraine into the 27-nation club and seal a key budget deal that would throw a €50 billion lifeline to Kyiv’s flailing war economy.“We have no time for games at this moment,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier this week. “If we are in a situation where peace in Europe is under attack, then we must do everything we can every day and e...

‘Wingless birds’: life aboard Britain’s controversial asylum barge

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

LONDON – “You can’t understand my state, I’m going crazy, nothing can calm me down.” That’s how life feels to one of the 50 asylum seekers who have spent the past three months living on a 222 room barge moored off Portland, Dorset in England while British authorities mull their fate.The Bibby Stockholm vessel was billed a symbol of the U.K.’s tough stance on asylum, as the governing Conservative Party seeks to show it’s got a grip on migration — with a slew of activity which this week included announcing a host of measures aimed at curbing visas and beefing up a deal to send people seeking refuge to Rwanda.Ministers argue the barge will cut the mounting cost of housing in expensive hotels asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their claims are processed, and will deter people from making dangerous crossings to the U.K. in the first place.But its rollout has already been controversial — and some of those aboard say they feel stuck in limbo.In texts shown to POLITI...

Fantasy Fixer: Week 14

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

7’s Morey Hershgordon has the inside scoop on who to start and sit this week in Fantasy Fixer. Go set your lineups!

Solve It 7: Fine Fight

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

A Massachusetts family was seeing red! They received a letter saying their car was caught on camera running a red light in Illinois–but they had never been to the state, and neither had their car. They emailed Solve It 7, and we gave their case the green light.  Brandon Gunnoe has the story.Kendra drives around New England in her sporty station wagon.“My car really stays within New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine,” Kendra said. That’s why she and her husband were so surprised in August…“My husband went to the mail and opened a letter from Illinois, and it was a red-light violation with a $100 fine. My car’s never seen Illinois, nor have I,” Kendra said.  “And I’m like, this doesn’t sound right. This sounds like a scam, basically,” Marty said.  So Marty tossed it in the garbage.But a month later another letter arrived.“What is this? Maybe this is actually then true or something,̶...

Chicago Cubs aren’t taking a star-or-bust approach: ‘Winning the offseason is probably more a curse than blessing’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

If the Chicago Cubs want to add a star player after falling one win short of the postseason, they have a variety of options to pursue in the coming weeks.A big-market team such as the Cubs should be involved when top players reach free agency or are available in a trade. Those pursuits ultimately could end with the Cubs failing to acquire an elite player this offseason, however, for a team that needs much more reliable production in key spots.Shohei Ohtani’s hush-hush courtship continued Wednesday, the final day of the winter meetings. The Cubs remain among the teams in the mix for the superstar. Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to fetch a long-term deal worth more than $200 million as part of a pitching market that features National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, standout reliever Josh Hader and lefty starters Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez, while outfielder Cody Bellinger remains the best slugger on the market behind Ohtani. Third baseman Ma...

Waltham police officer, utility worker killed after wild crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

A Waltham police officer and National Grid worker have died from injuries they suffered when a suspect crashed into them while working a construction detail, according to officials.Two other utility workers were injured in the crash on Totten Pond Road, Wednesday evening, officials said.After crashing into the officer and utility workers at the detail site, the suspect stole a Waltham police cruiser and fled the scene before crashing, Massachusetts State Police said in a social media post around 6:40 p.m.“The suspect was then apprehended after a foot pursuit and is currently in custody,” the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “This is a very active investigation and updates will be provided as they become available.”No other information has been released on the victims and suspect.The utility workers were taken to a hospital after the crash, National Grid said. “Our thoughts are with the crew members, their families and loved ones,” the company said in a state...

GOP presidential hopefuls target Nikki Haley more than Trump, and other moments from the debate

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

By STEVE PEOPLES and NICHOLAS RICCARDI (Associated Press)With the Iowa caucuses rapidly approaching, a shrinking field of Republican White House hopefuls gathered Wednesday in Alabama for the fourth presidential debate. As usual, former President Donald Trump, who is dominating the GOP primary, didn’t appear. Instead, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continued their effort to gain a sliver of the spotlight in the race.Here are some takeaways from the final primary debate of 2023.The front-runner in the Republican primary has no end of vulnerabilities. He faces 91 criminal charges and just the night before repeatedly refused to rule out abusing power if he returns to office. But, as has been the pattern, Trump was ignored during much of the debate. There was one great exception in the second hour, when the moderators asked Christie about Trump. The onetime New Jersey governor...

Former FOX 5 reporter battles rare cancer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- After 35 proton cancer treatments, Jeff McAdam is technically cured of cancer, but not cancer free. The 39-year-old former FOX 5 reporter was diagnosed with a cervical chordoma, a dangerous cancer threatening his mobility and his life. “You’ve got this really rare one in a million-type cancer inside your body,” McAdam said.  The expert researcher launched into searching for the best possible course of action, traveling the nation for the top doctors and treatments, ironically finding the most cutting-edge technology in the San Diego area.“Think about all the days we've traveled, the places we’ve gone, but the peace of mind that it gave us too… and ultimately we ended up right here in San Diego, I think it says a lot about what San Diego has to offer, some of the very best medical technology, medical teams in the country, if not the world,” McAdam said.    Man arrested after San Diego school mass shooting threat The California Proton Cancer The...

San Diego area among California cities expected to see home sales rebound next year

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:31:30 GMT

With mortgage rates finally easing, many California cities are expected to see home sales rebound significantly next year, according to a new forecast from Realtor.com.Five metro areas are predicted to see double-digit, year-over-year sales growth in 2024.They are Oxnard-Thousand Oaks (18%), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (13.8%), Bakersfield (13.4%), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad (11%) and Sacramento (10.3%). Home sales in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area are predicted to climb 9.2% after seeing declining sales for two years, analysts at Realtor are forecasting. You can still find homes well below $500K in these California counties The online real estate listing service, which is certainly hoping for a turnaround, ranked the top 100 metro areas on two factors: expected single-family home sales growth and anticipated growth in median home prices. In all six of those California markets, prices are expected to climb to more than 40% of the 2017-19 average, according to Realtor."Am...