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Patriots 7-round mock draft: Bill Belichick trades up, fills major needs with 11 picks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

Three weeks away from the NFL Draft, the Patriots’ roster holes are clear.Offensive tackle and cornerback lead the pack, followed by some order of wide receiver, tight end, edge defender and inside linebacker. The Pats typically invest their top picks into positions that will become areas of need within a year or two. Will they do so again this month, a time when Bill Belichick, Mac Jones and the rest of the franchise can hardly afford to look ahead?Here is the Herald’s second seven-round Patriots mock draft.1st roundNo. 14: Tennessee OT Darnell WrightHt/Wt: 6-5, 333A right tackle who allowed the third-lowest pressure rate in the FBS last year and is a road-grading run-blocker? How fast do the Patriots turn in this card?Wright projects as a Day 1 starter in New England, where everyone would soon learn how he dominated Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson, a projected top-5 pick, in their head-to-head matchup last season. He immediately addresses a position of need in the sh...

John Kerry’s Gmail account ‘discouraged’ but still defended by State Department

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

The U.S. State Department argues Climate czar John Kerry can use a personal Gmail account for government business — despite the risky practice being “discouraged” in the very manual they cite.The “Foreign Affairs Manual” referenced, particularly section 5 FAM 434, does not support outside messages.“All Department personnel with an official State Department email account are discouraged from using a personal email account(s),” including Gmail, the manual reads. That section goes on to add Gmail can be used in “very limited circumstances.”It also clearly states “convenience is not an appropriate reason” to use outside email.The State Department’s push-back on Kerry’s behalf comes after the Herald reported Sunday that the former Massachusetts senator and onetime Democratic presidential candidate was cc’d a Climate memo to a Gmail account.It’s all part of an ongoing struggle by the Herald and watch...

Saudi, Iran restore ties, say they seek Mideast stability

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Long-time Mideast rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia took another significant step toward reconciliation Thursday, formally restoring diplomatic ties after a seven-year rift, affirming the need for regional stability and agreeing to pursue economic cooperation.The agreement was reached in Beijing during a meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers, a month after China had brokered an initial reconciliation agreement between the two regional powerhouses.The latest understanding further lowers the chance of armed conflict between the rivals, both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. It could bolster efforts by diplomats to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.Thursday’s announcement also represents another diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider region.Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahia...

Snake on a plane! South African pilot finds cobra under seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A pilot in South Africa made a hasty emergency landing after discovering a highly venomous cobra hiding under his seat.Rudolf Erasmus had four passengers on board the light aircraft during Monday’s flight when he felt “something cold” slide across his lower back. He glanced down to see the head of a fairly large Cape Cobra “receding back under the seat,” he said.“It was as if my brain didn’t know what was going on,” he told The Associated Press. After taking a moment to compose himself, he informed his passengers of the slippery stowaway.“There was a moment of stunned silence,” he said. Everyone stayed cool, especially the pilot.Erasmus called air traffic control for permission to make an emergency landing in the town of Welkom in central South Africa. He still had to fly for another 10 to 15 minutes and land the plane with the snake by his feet.“I kept looking down to see where it was. It was happy under the seat,” Erasmus said. “I d...

Blue Jays to unveil Rogers Centre renos ahead of home opener next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

We are just days away from the Toronto Blue Jays home opener but won’t have to wait that long to get a first look at the newly-renovated Rogers Centre.The team is set to officially unveil the renovations during an open house on Thursday. The event will include a ribbon cutting, tours of the new spaces, as well as food and drink sampling.Team president Mark Shapiro will join Rogers Communications chair Edward Rogers and President and CEO Tony Staffieri for the official ribbon cutting ceremony. Media members will then be invited on a tour of the revamped facility.“Delivering a modernized fan experience, the new outfield district brings the city into the ballpark with five distinct neighbourhoods and many new social spaces, as part of a multi-year $300 million privately funded renovation,” reads a release from the team.Related:Drivers to face restrictions downtown for Leafs and Raptors playoffs, Blue Jays home gamesIn July, Blue Jays unveiled the full-scale, $300-mill...

Why are French workers angry about raising retirement age?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to fill the streets of France Thursday for the 11th day of nationwide resistance to a government proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The furious public reaction to the plan has cornered and weakened French President Emmanuel Macron. France’s highest body on constitutional affairs will be considering the higher retirement age. The Constitutional Council is expected to issue a ruling this month and Macron’s opponents hope it will severely limit his proposal. In many countries, raising the retirement age by two years wouldn’t throw the nation into such disarray. But the French public is overwhelmingly against pension reform, and unrelenting demonstrations against it have morphed into wider anger.HOW ANGRY ARE PEOPLE? Mounds of up to 10,000 tons of trash piled up on the streets of Paris during a weekslong strike by sanitation workers over a plan that would push their retirement age from 57 to 59 — lowe...

Dramatic photos show how storms filled California reservoirs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

FOLSOM, Calif. (AP) — Water levels fell so low in key reservoirs during the depth of California’s drought that boat docks sat on dry, cracked land and cars drove into the center of what should have been Folsom Lake.Those scenes are no more after a series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs and bringing an end — mostly — to the state’s three-year drought.Now, 12 of California’s 17 major reservoirs are filled above their historical averages for the start of spring. That includes Folsom Lake, which controls water flows along the American River, as well as Lake Oroville, the state’s second largest reservoir and home to the nation’s tallest dam. It’s a stunning turnaround of water availability in the nation’s most populous state. Late last year nearly all of California was in drought, including at extreme and exceptional levels. Wells ran dry, farmers fallowed fields and cities restricted...

How a tax extension can delay a business loan application

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

About 19 million individuals and businesses filed for an extension on their tax returns last year, many due to unexpected circumstances such as IRS backlog delays. No matter the reason, filing for an extension only gives you more time to file, not to pay, which can put you at risk of overpayment, or hefty late payment fees if you underpay based on your estimation.In addition to these risks, filing for a tax extension can also affect a business’s ability to get financing. If you’re planning to apply for a business loan this year, understand the impact an extension could have so you can keep your finances on track.HOW TAX RETURNS FACTOR INTO BUSINESS LOAN APPLICATIONSWhile every institution is different, most traditional lenders and banks look at profit and debt service coverage ratio, or DSCR, as key factors in determining a business’s ability to repay a loan. Profit is revenue minus expenses, while DSCR speaks to a business’s ability to take on new debt while covering current debt o...

Lithuania seeks compensation from Belarus for migrant crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania is seeking up to 120 million euros in compensation from Belarus, accusing its eastern neighbor of orchestrating the immigration of thousands of people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East. Since 2021, when the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus and its longtime authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, the number of people seeking to cross into Lithuania and enter the EU has dramatically increased. The foreign ministry said Thursday it has handed over a diplomatic note to Belarus, demanding compensation. Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska said Wednesday that “what the Belarusian regime is doing is not a natural migration route.”Lithuania erected a barbed wire fence along its 679-kilometer (422-mile) border with Belarus after thousands of migrants crossed into its territory in 2021.Since mid-2021, Lithuania has refused entry to a total of 20,000 migrants from Belarus. In August 2021, Lithuanian border guards were given the right ...

Man critical after being shot in the face on North Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

CHICAGO — A 23-year-old man was shot in the face on the city's North Side.The shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 3100 block of West Carmen. Police said officers responded to a person shot and found the man with a gunshot wound to the face.The 23-year-old was transported to St. Francis Hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The victim told police he was approached by several men who began shooting and then fled the scene on foot. Firefighter dies after Gold Coast high-rise blaze; second in last 2 days No one is in custody and Area Five Detectives are investigating.