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Elon Musk’s X hit with first-ever EU probe for failing to curb toxic content

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

Elon Musk just got an early, unwelcome Christmas present from Europe: the bloc’s first-ever investigation via its new social media rules into X.On Monday, the European Commission opened Digital Services Act (DSA) infringement proceedings into X, formerly known as Twitter, after the billionaire and his company were subjected to repeated claims they were not doing enough to stop disinformation and hate speech from spreading online.The four investigations, which do not constitute wrongdoing and will lead to a monthslong probe, focus on X’s failure to comply with rules to counter illegal content and disinformation as well as rules on transparency on advertising, data access for researchers and the misleading design of its user interface.“The Commission will carefully investigate X’s compliance with the DSA, to ensure European citizens are safeguarded online — as the regulation mandates,” Margrethe Vestager, the Commission’s executive vice president responsible for digi...

Suspect sought by Needham, Stow police taken into custody in Waltham

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

A man who Needham and Stow police warned the public may be armed and dangerous on Sunday night was captured and arrested.Joshua Hinds, 45, of Stow, was captured by police in Waltham early Monday morning. He will be booked and is expected to face a number of charges.Hinds allegedly brandished a firearm at an individual known to him and threatened to harm himself and others. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Fire lieutenant seriously hurt, home total loss in 3-alarm Falmouth blaze

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

A Falmouth Fire Lieutenant was med flighted to Boston Sunday afternoon after sustaining significant injuries falling through the floor of a house while battling a 3-alarm fire. Falmouth Fire responded to report of smoke coming from a home on Rivers Edge Road just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday. After forcing entry to the structure, whose owners were out of state, a lieutenant and two firefighters entered the home, which was under heavy smoke conditions. According to authorities, approximately five feet into the house the lieutenant “fell through a burnt out opening in the floor into the basement” and called out a MAYDAY to seek assistance, which immediately drew personnel to his aid. “Upon entering the smoke-filled basement, personnel conducted an immediate search and were able to locate the firefighter whose personal alerting device was activated to help guide them to the fallen member, Falmouth FD said in a statement. “They were able to quickly remove the Lieutenan...

Quaker Oats recalls dozens of products over foodborne illness risk

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

New York (CNN) — Quaker Oats on Friday recalled more than 40 granola bar and cereal products because they could be contaminated with salmonella.The affected foods include the classic Chewy granola bar variety pack, the chocolate-covered Chewy Dipps bars, puffed and protein cereals, and even granola bars that are included in some Frito-Lays snack boxes, according to a list reported by the US Food and Drug Administration.“To date, Quaker has received no confirmed reports of illness related to the products covered by this recall,” the FDA said in a news release announcing the recall.The potentially contaminated products have “best by” dates ranging until October 2024 and were sold across all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan.The Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can be found in animal products, fruits and vegetables, flour, and processed foods like ...

Trump targets undocumented immigrants in Nevada speech as he leans into anti-immigrant rhetoric in early voting states

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump denigrated undocumented immigrants during a Sunday campaign stop in Nevada that marked the latest example of him ratcheting up anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of the GOP nominating contest kicking off next month.The front-runner for the GOP nomination stoked fears about migrants coming across the US-Mexico border and pointed to examples of what he said were undocumented immigrants committing violent crimes in the US as he addressed a crowd of supporters in Reno.In Nevada – which is third on the GOP nominating calendar and also has a large Latino population – he claimed migrants were “invading” the US from prisons and “mental institutions” in other countries and reiterated his promise to conduct the “largest deportation operation in American history.” In the final weeks before voting begins, Trump is leaning into the kind of anti-immigrant language that he used when he secured the nomination in 2016 – and facing backlash reminiscent ...

Tom Mulherin’s hockey crystal ball

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

It seems the offseason care of the crystal ball was about as poor as it comes. The opening week’s reading was ridden with dust, rust and mistrust, so we head into Week 2 with a forgettable, 5-9 record. The good news is that all nine losses either came down to a close finish or were tight battles outside of one big period. The bad news is … there were nine losses. Those nine teams deserve shoutouts for their victories, but a few triumphs are exceptional. The Walpole boys snapped a six-game losing streak to Braintree. The Hingham boys came out on top over St. John’s Prep despite missing their top scorer. The new-look St. Mary’s (L) girls showed they’re still a force to be reckoned with by beating Archbishop Williams, the Lincoln-Sudbury girls shined in their MVC/DCL Large debut, and the Falmouth girls made an early statement in the Cape and Islands League. Well done to everyone. Now we’re turning the page, and this week’s picks brings a good reminder that the crystal ba...

Storied US Steel to be acquired for more than $14 billion by Nippon Steel

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation’s industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt.The deal’s announcement comes several months after U.S. Steel rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland Cliffs. U.S. Steel received the offer in August and said at the time that it was reviewing “strategic alternatives” after receiving several unsolicited offers. The company said it rejected the offer because Cleveland-Cliffs was pushing it to accept the terms without being allowed to conduct proper due diligence. Soaring prices have helped fuel consolidation in the steel industry this decade. Steel prices more than quadrupled near the start of the pandemic to near $2,000 per metric ton by the summer of 2021 as supply chains experienced gridlock, a symptom of surging demand for goo...

Albanian lawmakers discuss lifting former prime minister’s immunity as his supporters protest

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Supporters of Albania’s opposition Democratic Party protested against the government Monday while a parliamentary commission discussed whether to lift the immunity from prosecution of the party’s leader, former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Prosecutors asked lawmakers last week to strip Berisha of his parliamentary immunity because he did not abide by an order to report to them every two weeks and not travel abroad while he is being investigated for corruption.Cordons of police officers surrounded the Parliament building Monday as a commission discussed the immunity request. If granted, the full Parliament is expected to vote Thursday to clear the way for prosecutors to put Berisha under arrest of house arrest. Berisha, 79, was charged with corruption in October for allegedly abusing his post to help his son-in-law, Jamarber Malltezi, buy land in Tirana owned by both private citizens and the country’s Defense Ministry, and to build 17 apartment buil...

UK plans to implement carbon tax on imported goods like steel from 2027, a year after EU’s proposals

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The British government announced plans Monday to charge a carbon levy on imported raw materials such as aluminum, iron, steel and cement from 2027, in an attempt to prevent firms being undercut by overseas producers.However, the plan has come under criticism from the body representing British steel as being too sluggish, as it will come into effect one year after similar proposals from the European Union are implemented.Announcing its plan, Britain’s Treasury said the proposed new tax will level the playing field, helping greener domestic producers compete against higher carbon, but cheaper, foreign rivals. For years, fears have been expressed that efforts to cut greenhouse gases in the U.K. are not being matched overseas, meaning that emissions are just being displaced to other countries without ambitious net-zero targets, leading to little global benefit.“This levy will make sure carbon-intensive products from overseas — like steel and ceramics — face a compara...

A boycott call and security concerns mar Iraq’s first provincial elections in a decade

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:48 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Baghdad’s streets were nearly empty on Monday, the main day of polling in the country’s first provincial elections in a decade, which are boycotted by an influential political bloc and marred by scattered violence and allegations of irregularities. The vote to select new provincial council members, who in turn will appoint governors, is widely seen as a bellwether for the parliamentary election due to take place in 2025.Initial voting on Saturday, which was restricted to military and security personnel and displaced people living in camps, showed a relatively high turnout of about 67%, but turnout in Monday’s vote among the general population was widely expected to be low.Muqtada al-Sadr, a powerful Shiite cleric and political leader who officially resigned from politics in 2022 during a lengthy deadlock over Cabinet formation, had called on his supporters to boycott the provincial elections, saying that their participation would reinforce the dominance of a corrupt p...