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Meet Berlusconi’s Angel of Death and Orbán’s whip

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

Welcome to Declassified, a weekly humor column.It’s been a rough few weeks for former Italian Prime Minister and Bunga Bunga-enthusiast Silvio Berlusconi. After being treated for chronic leukemia, the aging lothario was moved out of intensive care earlier this month. That means he can receive visitors, and he has — which at least gives the poor nurses a break from all that groping.Among the visitors was the mother of Marta Fascina, the 86-year-old Berlusconi’s 32-year-old girlfriend. Nothing unusual there (by which I mean receiving visitors in hospital is not unusual, whereas a 54-year age gap is) except that Fascina’s mom is called Angela Della Morte, which translates as “Angel of Death” — not an ideal name for a visitor when you’re just out of intensive care.Staying in Italy, it’s been a bad week for the country’s tourism ministry, which put out a video featuring a computerized version of Botticelli’s Venus as if she was a — sh...

The price of peace: Westminster mulls another £1 billion bung for Northern Ireland

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

DUBLIN — What’s the price of peace? For Northern Ireland’s warring politicians, the answer is often surprisingly simple — a cool £1,000,000,000. A half-dozen senior insiders in the British government and Northern Ireland civil service have told POLITICO that Westminster is mulling a £1 billion offer to boost the region’s public services if its main political parties restore a power-sharing government before the end of the year.The deal would mark the third time in seven years Westminster has ponied up £1 billion to get the fractious Northern Irish parties back on side — but is still seen as a price worth paying to break the yearlong political deadlock.“When you look at previous points in our history where there have been crises, there has always been money to sweeten the deal,” said David Sterling, the former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, who retired in 2020. “I’m sure that the parties are pressing hard for something like that at the momen...

Discussion and debate are democratic strengths — even in time of war

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. In this time of war, should Ukrainians — or those backing Ukraine, for that matter — refrain from public criticism of the country’s leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Should they forbear from raising questions about how the country’s being run, how the war is being conducted, or what the government did, or failed to do, in the run-up to Russia’s invasion?Is it unpatriotic — or even dangerous — to find fault, as criticism might weaken public morale, offer propaganda fodder to the Kremlin and damage the country in the eyes of Western partners, possibly imperiling support for Ukraine?The country’s opposition politicians, civil society leaders and some in the military have been wrestling with this dilemma daily for some time now. And they complain that Zelenskyy and his team view any criticism — including what is meant as constructive commentary to correct errors — as an attempt to run down the war effort and underm...

Rishi Sunak’s mission: Stop the sniggering

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

LONDON — As Liz Truss’ premiership unraveled last October against a backdrop of collapsing financial markets, Rishi Sunak’s mobile phone never stopped pinging.  The internet was alight with memes mocking Truss, who became the shortest-serving prime minister in British history when she resigned after seven weeks in office. And Sunak’s own private chat groups — full of high-flying friends and elite acquaintances around the world — were among those joining in. One meme that went viral superimposed the Airbnb logo on the famous No. 10 black door, along with the slogan “perfect for short lets.” Another depicted Truss and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on a photoshopped 1990s movie poster with the title “How to lose an economy in 10 days.”The memes were cruel about both Truss and Britain more broadly. His friends found them hilarious — but when Sunak succeeded Truss in Downing Street later that month, he was determined to stop the sniggering.As a Stanford MBA graduate and former inve...

Scholz’s new push for China port deal triggers row in German coalition

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces growing tensions within his coalition over his determination to push through controversial Chinese investment into a Hamburg port terminal — despite security concerns, not least from the U.S. How far to go in China relations is opening major political fissures not only within Europe, but also in Europe’s relations with the United States. Washington has cautioned against the port deal as part of broader calls for Europe to not tie its economy — and technological know-how — too closely to China. Scholz, however, is generally seen as taking a softer line on China to protect German business interests. Plans by Chinese state-owned shipping giant COSCO to buy a 24.9 percent minority stake in the Hamburg Tollerort terminal — which the Social Democratic chancellor had forced through last fall, against objections by Green and liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) coalition partners — were thrown into fresh doubt earlier this month after i...

Patriots trade back, select CB Christian Gonzalez at No. 17

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots waited patiently with their top pick of the NFL draft, trading back three spots and addressing a hole in their secondary by selecting Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick on Thursday night.The Patriots entered the night holding the No. 14 selection but swapped first-round picks with Pittsburgh, getting a fourth-round pick (120th overall) from the Steelers.Gonzalez, who transferred to Oregon after two seasons at Colorado, has a versatile skillset and was effective both in coverage and against the run, notching four interceptions and 50 tackles last season.He fills an immediate need for the Patriots, who were looking for a cornerback to pair with Jonathan Jones.New England ran its streak of making at least one trade during the draft to 19 years. During coach Bill Belichick’s tenure, the Patriots have declined to make a draft-day trade only once, in 2004.They will enter Day 2 of the draft holding 11 remaining pi...

New billboard aims to raise awareness of fentanyl’s dangers 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

A new billboard in Massachusetts is aiming to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl — the powerful drug that has killed thousands in recent years. The billboard overlooks Route 6 in Rehoboth, showing the faces of fentanyl victims like Sean Poole and discussing the dangers of the drug. “We were just inseparable,” Poole’s sister, Melissa, told 7NEWS.Sean died when he took heroin laced with fentanyl. “He had been sober for a while,” Melissa said. “That night, he wanted to feel good because he had got a raise and someone said ‘Oh, I can get you something,’ and it was fentanyl,” Melissa said. Now, Melissa is hoping to raise awareness. “We’re losing over 300 people a day to fentanyl and I always say, ‘That’s like an airline going down every day.’”Melissa Poole is not alone in her efforts. She is working with Paula Young, who lost her 33-year-old son, Andrew Santos, last March after his marijuana was laced with fentanyl. “My son’s legacy is ...

Changes are coming to some mortgage fees next month

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

 (CNN) — Fees on mortgages backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are set to change next month, in a plan designed to make homeownership more affordable for more people. Broadly, the fees will go down for many with lower credit scores and will increase for many with higher credit scores.But that doesn’t mean people with lower credit scores will pay less than those with higher credit scores. The changes mean that people with higher credit scores will still pay less based on lower risk to the lenders, but having a lower credit score will now come with less of a penalty.There are many variables that go into the cost of a home loan, including what kind of property you are buying, how much money you’re putting down and how high or low your credit score is.These variables help lenders — and government-backed Freddie and Fannie, which buy the vast majority of loans from lenders — price loans for risk. After starting with the basic, or par, rate, additional price adjust...

David Ortiz visits fan recovering from surgery in Boston hospital

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

Red Sox legend David Ortiz made a special visit to a fan in the hospital earlier this month, boosting spirits for a 19-year-old recovering from a recent procedure. Megan Hebert suffered a serious knee injury after playing soccer and participating in dance programs in 2017 and has had a long road to recovery with 18 surgeries in recent years. She was recovering from her most recent procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital when Ortiz himself dropped by the pediatric ward to say “hello” and pass out shirts. Hebert caught her interaction with Ortiz on camera. “Hey what’s happening, this is Big Papi right here hanging out with my girl Megan,” Ortiz said in the video. “She’s about to get this thing done the right way and go back and play soccer, so, good luck to you.” Hebert said the interaction was an amazing opportunity to meet Ortiz, especially as she goes through a tough time. “I’ve definitely felt defeated,” she said. “Having 18 surgeries by the age o...

2023 NFL draft live updates: Ravens take WR Zay Flowers at No. 22 overall in first round

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:19 GMT

Welcome to your 2023 NFL draft companion. Return here throughout the night for news and analysis throughout the first round as the Ravens wait to make their pick at No. 22 overall. Don’t see the live blog? View it here.Carolina Panthers (from Chicago): Alabama QB Bryce YoungHouston Texans: Ohio State QB C.J. StroudHouston Texans (from Arizona): Alabama EDGE Will Anderson Jr.Indianapolis Colts: Florida QB Anthony RichardsonSeattle Seahawks (from Denver): Illinois CB Devon WitherspoonArizona Cardinals (from Detroit via L.A. Rams): Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.Las Vegas Raiders: Texas Tech EDGE Tyree WilsonAtlanta Falcons: Texas RB Bijan RobinsonPhiladelphia Eagles (from Chicago via Carolina): Georgia DT Jalen CarterChicago Bears (from Philadelphia via New Orleans): Tennessee OT Darnell Wright Jr.Tennessee Titans: Northwestern OT Peter SkoronskiDetroit Lions (from Houston via Cleveland): Alabama RB Jahmyr GibbsGreen Bay Packers (from N.Y. Jets): Iowa EDGE Lukas Van NessPittsbur...