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Mark Rutte era comes to an end as Dutch elections loom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

After 13 years, the Netherlands’ longest-serving prime minister is switching his office in The Hague for a classroom. Mark Rutte surprised his colleagues on Monday by announcing his retirement from politics, following his government’s collapse on Friday.Rutte had initially said late Friday he still had the “energy and ideas” to continue, but this weekend he decided to put an end to his 17 years as leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). “I do this with mixed feelings, with emotions. I love the team dearly. But it feels right.” The outgoing prime minister is currently teaching social studies once a week at a local school in The Hague. “Maybe I will do that for a few days,” he added. Rutte will stay on as a caretaker prime minister until the general election in November for the 150-seat lower house of parliament. His 13-year tenure in power won him the nickname “Teflon Mark,” for his ability to power through a series of political crise...

Upon Return, Healey Makes Sumner Center First Stop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey pledged Monday to ride the Blue Line and other transit modes this summer during the two-month shutdown of the Sumner Tunnel, and transportation officials predicted the heaviest travel impacts from the tunnel closure may hit on Thursday.The closure began last Wednesday, coinciding with lighter traffic volumes surrounding July 4 vacations. TV news reports on Monday morning captured some of impacts, using words like “crawling” and “slow” with videos of vehicles inching along roadways, including a livestream posted by Boston 25 News. Other reports warned of “lengthy” traffic delays around the city.“This whole week will be a test,” Healey told reporters after a brief visit to MassDOT offices in downtown Boston. She was joined by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, among other officials.For now, the project is proce...

Biden administration asks appeals court to block order limiting its contacts with social media

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

By KEVIN McGILL (Associated Press)NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court Monday to temporarily block a lower court’s order limiting executive branch officials’ discussions with social media companies about controversial online posts.The request for an emergency stay was filed at the 5th U.S. District Court of Appeals shortly after U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty rejected an administration motion that he put his own July 4 order on hold. The order came in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, as well as a conservative website owner and four individual critics of government COVID-19 policies.The lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censored free speech by using threats of regulatory action or protection while pressuring companies to remove what it deemed misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines, legal issues involving President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and election fraud allegations were...

Like Wordle for baseball nerds, the Immaculate Grid has become this summer’s viral internet sensation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

These days the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is grab my phone, open up my new favorite game and plunge myself into the deepest recesses of my memory bank, straining like hell to remember Carlos Pena.All my friends are doing it too, and the group chat blows up around 9 a.m., as we eagerly await to share which Guys we’ve Remembered, kind of like friends calling each other on Christmas morning to discuss their presents. “You got Octavio Dotel?! Dude, nice, I can’t believe it!!”This has become a way of life for sports fans over the last week and a half or so, a ritual that feels perfect for this moment, as the summer heat sets in, Fourth of July leftovers are still in the fridge and many of us are looking for a reason to text our friends as we tackle that latest work project from our couches.The Immaculate Grid has become a viral sensation, like a Wordle or Sudoku for sports fans, only with childhood memories included.Since its Twitter account became active in April, th...

The UK will start charging visitors an entry fee in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

Mia Taylor | (TNS) TravelPulseCome next year, the United Kingdom will start charging visitors a nominal entry fee.The nations intend to roll out an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) requirement in 2024 that will cost £10, which amounts to about $12.50.According to the U.K. government page, the ETA is a new requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the U.K. Having the ETA gives visitors permission to travel to the U.K., and will be electronically linked to each individual’s passport.Travelers who will require an ETA to visit the United Kingdom include:—Those who plan to visit for up to six months for tourism, to spend time with family or friends, to conduct business, or to study.—Individuals who plan to come to the U.K. for up to three months on what’s known as the Creative Worker visa concession.—Travelers who simply transit through the U.K. — including if you’re not even going through U.K. border patrol as part of that transit.The new fee however, does not apply ...

Yankees pick George Lombard Jr., Mets take Colin Houck in 2023 MLB Draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

The Yankees and Mets selected highly regarded high school shortstops with their top picks in the 2023 MLB Draft, continuing a recent emphasis on the position by both teams.George Lombard Jr. went 26th overall to the Yankees on Sunday after a standout career at the Miami-area Gulliver Preparatory School. Colin Houck of Georgia’s Parkview High School then went to the Mets with the 32nd pick.The Mets later used the 56th pick on Brandon Sproat, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher from the University of Florida, whom they originally drafted last year but failed to sign.In Lombard, the Yankees get a 6-foot-3, 190-pound talent with major league lineage. His father, George Lombard, played six MLB seasons and is now the Detroit Tigers bench coach.The younger Lombard, 18, hit .478 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 29 games during his senior season at Gulliver Prep. He is committed to Vanderbilt, like former first-round pick Anthony Volpe was when the Yankees drafted him.MLB Pipeline ran...

VEGAS NOTEBOOK: Victor Wembanyama shuts it down; Knicks’ Trevor Keels has a lot to prove

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

LAS VEGAS — The curtain fell on Victor Wembanyama’s Summer League after a much better final act.The towering Frenchman put on an impressive show Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center, dropping 27 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks in San Antonio’s 85-80 defeat to the Blazers.The 19-year-old, who has been through a rollercoaster the last few weeks with the draft, media scrutiny and a beef with Britney Spears, was then shut down for the rest of the tournament, the Spurs announced.He will miss at least two games.“In the past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50 percent of my schedule,” Wembanyama said. “I can’t stand it. I know it’s a special moment in my life, but I’m glad it’s over. Honestly, I just want to hoop.”Sunday was quite the turnaround performance from Wembanyama, who struggled mightily in his debut two days prior and acknowledged feeling lost/overwhelmed.He lasted one more Summer League game ...

Quick Fix: Beat the heat by cooking barbecue steak, corn on the cob indoors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service (TNS)When I think of summer, steak and corn on the cob pop into my mind. But with the hot weather I don’t want to spend a lot of time outside by a hot grill. So I created this dinner cooked inside with barbecue flavors done in minutes. I use outside skirt steak. It is softer than inside skirt steak, which can be tough. Look for it in the market or ask the butcher if they have any. Instead of waiting for water to boil for the corn on the cob, I cook it in the microwave oven. It takes 5 minutes.I use a stovetop grill for the steak, but you can also make the steak in a skillet. Just follow the timing directions and use a meat thermometer.Helpful Hints:— You can use any type of quick cooking steak.— You can use any type of barbecue sauce.— You can use any type of salad greens.Countdown:— Assemble ingredients.— Microwave the corn and set aside.— Grill the steak.— Assemble the salad.— Finish the meal.Shopping List:To buy: 2 ears of corn, 3/4 pound...

How to make a bacon old fashioned, the original meat-infused cocktail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

Jenn Ladd | (TNS) The Philadelphia InquirerPHILADELPHIA — If you’re under the impression that meat and booze don’t mix, bartenders have been proving otherwise for years. The trend’s been booming in Philly lately: There was the chicken martini at Martha, the Lambhattan at Andra Hem, a duck vieux carre at Fork, the Duck L’Orange at Townsend, a wagyu old-fashioned at ITV.It’s all done via fat-washing: Combine a spirit and any liquid fat (it need not be meat; think olive oil, coconut oil, butter, etc.) in a jar or a bottle, shake it up, let it sit for a few hours, then freeze and strain. The resulting liquor is not only infused with the flavor and scent of the ingredient, it also has a smoother, fuller-bodied texture thanks to trace amounts of fat left behind.The technique was first popularized in 2007 by the Benton’s Old-Fashioned at New York City speakeasy Please Don’t Tell (PDT). Four Roses bourbon was washed with fat from brown-sugar-cured, hickory-smoked Benton’s bacon, combined wi...

Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin’s commanders met Putin after short-lived mutiny, pledged loyalty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:47 GMT

By The Associated PressJust five days after staging a short-lived rebellion, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘s commanders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pledged loyalty to the government, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence both men wield.The three-hour meeting took place June 29 and involved not only Prigozhin but commanders from his Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself.“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Peskov said....