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5,000-mile seaweed blob threatens Florida tourism industry

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

(CNN) — A gargantuan mass of seaweed that formed in the Atlantic Ocean is headed for the shores of Florida and other coastlines throughout the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to dump smelly and potentially dangerous heaps across beaches and put a big damper on tourist season.The seaweed, a variety called sargassum, has long formed large blooms in the Atlantic, and scientists have been tracking massive accumulations since 2011. But this year’s sargassum mass could be the largest on record — spanning more than 5,000 miles from the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.The blob is currently pushing westand will pass through the Caribbean and up into the Gulf of Mexico during the summer, with the seaweed expected to become prevalent on beaches in Florida around July, according to Dr. Brian Lapointe, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.Lapointe said this year’s sargassum bloom began to form early and doubled in size betw...

Florida lawmakers to vote on proposed bill to tighten abortion laws

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

A new bill is making its way to the Florida legislature that could significantly tighten abortion laws in the state. The proposed bill would ban abortions past 6 weeks, with exceptions only in cases where the life of the mother is at risk or in cases of rape or incest.If Republican lawmakers can come to an agreement on the details of the bill, it is highly likely to become law.The proposed bill, introduced last week, is just the latest in a series of efforts by conservative lawmakers to restrict access to abortion across the United States. On Wednesday, a Texas judge heard arguments challenging an abortion pill to be sold in the state.In recent years, states like Kansas, Texas and Georgia have passed similarly restrictive laws, sparking legal challenges and public outcry.Opponents of the bill argue that it is a violation of women’s rights and could have serious consequences for their health and well-being. They point out that many women may not even realize they are pregnant a...

Martin Selmayr shortlisted to be EU’s man in DC (or New York)

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

The “Monster of the Berlaymont” might be staging a comeback — in the U.S.Martin Selmayr — once a powerful figure atop the EU’s executive institution — has been shortlisted to become the EU ambassador to either the U.S. or the United Nations, two officials told POLITICO.Selmayr currently heads the European Commission’s office in Austria, a role he took after helming the EU executive’s massive civil service during Jean-Claude Juncker’s presidency. He also served as Junker’s influential chief of staff for four years.The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel decisions, indicated that while Selmayr is in the running to helm either the EU’s delegation in Washington, D.C., or move to New York, he is not a shoo-in.Selmayr has long been a controversial figure in Brussels, where he was considered one of the EU’s most pivotal behind-the-scenes operators. He helped push the EU’s agenda as the bloc doubled down on li...

TikTok banned on UK government phones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

LONDON – The U.K. today banned TikTok from all government devices, as Western countries take an increasingly hostile approach to the app.The move follows a review by the country’s National Cyber Security Centre. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese headquartered company, and Western governments fear it could give Beijing’s spies access to sensitive data.Cabinet Secretary Oliver Dowden told the House of Commons at lunchtime that the ban was “proportionate” and “prudent” and followed similar moves by allies.He said only a list of third-party approved apps would be allowed on government devices and the ban starts immediately. Government officials will still be able to use the app on their personal phones, but Dowden urged them to be cautious.He said there would be exemptions granted on a “case by case” basis. It follows similar bans by the European Union, Belgium, and Canada. The U.S. has also restricted the app last year and is now working on broader plans which could s...

Germany to put 2 percent NATO spending pledge in writing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

BERLIN — Germany will soon commit itself for the first time in writing to hitting NATO’s 2 percent defense spending target, according to several people familiar with the plan.The pledge will come as part of an upcoming national security strategy, the first of its kind. The document has faced several delays as Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party ruling coalition squabbled over the specifics. The group has now agreed, however, to enshrine a vow to spend 2 percent of Germany’s economic output on defense, according to the people who have seen the 40-plus-page document and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. That would put the country in line with a long-standing NATO goal that many allies, including Germany, have struggled to meet. Scholz has previously made verbal commitments to hitting the 2 percent threshold as part of the country’s Zeitenwende, or major u-turn, on defense policy. But inserting that goal into the national security...

British MPs vote Wednesday on key part of UK-EU Northern Ireland deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

LONDON — MPs will vote next Wednesday on one of the key measures in the U.K. and EU’s Windsor Framework deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, ministers have announced.Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt told parliament Thursday that MPs will get the opportunity to debate and vote on the “Stormont Brake” element of the deal, immediately after the weekly prime minister’s questions joust on March 22.Rishi Sunak struck the deal on the Northern Ireland protocol February, following months of talks over the contentious trading rules in the region.The British prime minister has been trying to sell his Windsor Framework deal to the fiercely anti-protocol Democratic Unionist Party, which is yet to decide if it will back it and restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland. A handful of Sunak’s Brexiteer backbenchers have also raised concerns over the deal.If approved, the Stormont Brake measure would effectively allow the Northern Ireland Assembly —...

Tony Blair says Sunak’s Northern Ireland deal ‘best you can do’ post Brexit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

LONDON — Tony Blair had warm words for the EU and U.K.’s latest attempt to put their bitter row over Northern Ireland trade rules to bed — even as he warned that wider issues thrown up for the region by Brexit will be hard to square.The former U.K. prime minister — who led the country for a decade from 1997 and was a key player in the Good Friday Agreement seeking to end conflict over Northern Ireland — has been a long-standing critic of Britain’s exit from the EU.He warned ahead of the U.K.’s referendum that leaving the bloc could wreak havoc with the carefully calibrated setup in Northern Ireland. Unionist politicians in the region are currently boycotting the power-sharing government in objection to post-Brexit rules they see as driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.Speaking to MPs Thursday, Blair offered qualified praise for current U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s bid to square “a difficult circle” for the region t...

EU executive plans sanctions regime for Russian oligarchs’ relatives

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

The European Commission is preparing a new legal text that would make it possible to sanction family members of prominent Russian businessmen and women, three EU diplomats told POLITICO.The EU executive briefed EU countries on Wednesday that it was working on listing criteria for family members, the diplomats said. Sanctions hawks — Poland and the Baltic states — proposed a similar scheme in February. The Commission then promised to look into the issue in exchange for Poland dropping its resistance against the bloc’s 10th sanctions package at the end of February, a senior EU diplomat said at the time. Poland had claimed that trade restrictions for synthetic rubber didn’t go far enough and had refused to sign off on the package until it received more promises by the Commission for future sanctions.The Commission did not provide details on what specific criteria it is planning on introducing, nor a timeline when that would happen, two of the diplom...

Mass. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is asking FDA to investigate possible health risks of chemical hair straighteners

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

Mass. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is asking the FDA to investigate the possible health risks associated with chemical hair straighteners.The National Institutes of Health recently published research that shows women who use the products were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer by age 70. Pressley says Black women are disproportionately at risk because they use the products at higher rates. The congresswoman says the FDA should review that research and reevaluate the safety of those products.

Owner of Shaw Farm in Dracut thanks neighbors for helping with barn roof collapse during nor’easter

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:57 GMT

The owner of Shaw Farm in Dracut is thanking his neighbors for lending a helping hand when his barn roof caved in during Tuesday’s nor’easter.The farm lost six out of their 85 cows in the collapse and the remaining cows have been moved to nearby farms.Despite the devastation of losing animals, the Shaw family says they are grateful the collapse wasn’t worse and thankful for the outpouring of support from the community, with over 500 people reaching out to offer help. “People just showed up here to help,” Warren Shaw said. “Some of them with equipment, some of them ready to move animals, and it’s still going on now.”Shaw farm is a Dracut landmark and has been serving the Merrimack Valley for over 110 years.