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OBF: Online betting in Massachusetts off to wild start

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

“March Madness?”Nope.Try “absolute insanity.”That’s how one top executive in the online sports betting industry described the start of mobile betting in Massachusetts to me the other day.Welcome to Problem Gambling Awareness Month.The “insanity” is everywhere.It exists in a tsunami of advertising not seen since the push to pass the Millionaire’s Tax in 2022.It lives in online accounts where players see $2,000 deposits balloon into $10,000 worth of bonus bets.It breathes in odds boosts that pay even money on a $50 bet if the Celtics score one point, or the Bruins get one shot on goal.In addition to this being “absolute insanity,” it’s also “unsustainable.”Again, his words, not mine.No matter how many times the house always wins – and it usually does – no house is big enough to sustain itself by giving away $50 or $100 to potentially 400,000+ mobile betting customers in Massachusetts every time the Bruins or Celtics play.That equates to potentially $40,000,000 a whack. Times two.The h...

Nikki Haley signals Ukraine support, splitting with many Republicans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is setting a strikingly different tone regarding the war in Ukraine than her fellow Republican presidential hopefuls.“Everyone knows it, yet President Biden and some Republicans are failing to realize a corresponding truth: If Russia wins in Ukraine, China wins too,” the former South Carolina governor wrote in a Tuesday morning Wall Street Journal op-ed.According to Haley, if Russia’s full-scale invasion of democratic neighbor Ukraine is allowed to succeed, the result will be an emboldened Chinese Communist Party.“Beijing has set its sights on overtaking the U.S. militarily, economically and culturally. Mr. Xi is in Moscow now because supporting Mr. Putin advances his dark vision. He wants Russia to conquer Ukraine so it’s easier for China to invade Taiwan,” she wrote.So far, Haley is the only prominent Republican to throw themselves into the race for the party nomination against former President Donald Trump, though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has s...

Starlight Square may see another season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

The Cambridge City Council is looking to overrule a city board who’s recent ruling threatened to shut down a Central Square gathering space that emerged as an oasis during the pandemic.Councilors on Monday referred a zoning petition to the city’s Planning Board to help revive Starlight Square in the Central Square Business Improvement District.The petition would allow outdoor retail, entertainment and recreational facilities, like Starlight, to be located within the area by default if such spaces have minimal impact on neighbors.Showing strong support for the petition, the council expressed urgency for the Planning Board to proceed with a hearing and other necessary action as quickly as possible since some events are planned at Starlight as early as May.“This zoning petition not only would address some of the concerns regarding Starlight,” Councilor Marc McGovern said, “but it would allow for other really exciting arts and opportunities to take place in Central Square.”Starlight bec...

Japan’s Kishida pledges aid for Ukraine-backing Poland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Japan’s prime minister pledged Wednesday to provide Poland with development support to help the European country assist neighboring Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s invasion. Polish Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Warsaw a day after Kishida made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Bearing in mind the increasing burden on Poland due to the prolonged invasion of Ukraine,” Kishida said Japan would offer Poland assistance to support its role and is looking to “vigorously build up” projects.Japan usually provides the type of promised aid to developing countries, which Poland is no longer, but the Japanese government is making a special exception, he said. Kishida said it was crucial for like-minded countries such as Japan and Poland, to remain united in their support for Ukraine and in furthering sanctions against Russia.During a joint new...

Tear gas, clashes as Lebanon protesters try to storm govt HQ

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese security forces fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse hundreds of protesters, mainly retired soldiers, who tried to break through the fence leading to the government headquarters in downtown Beirut. The violence came amid widespread anger over the harsh economic conditions in the country, where mismanagement by the ruling class has been rampant for years, preceding the economic meltdown that started in late 2019. The retired soldiers demanding better pay were clashing with riot police and troops. Several people suffered breathing problems from the tear gas. The protesters hurled stones at the officers protecting the government headquarters and repeatedly tried to break through the fence. The Lebanese pound hit a new low on Tuesday, selling for more than 143,000 pounds to the dollar before making some gains. The pound has lost more than 96% of its value over the past three years. “My monthly salary is $40. How can I survive,” screamed a retired army officer. ...

Ethiopian lawmakers remove Tigray group from terror list

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopian lawmakers have removed the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front from the country’s list of designated terror groups more than four months after a peace agreement ended a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people.Wednesday’s decision highlights the improving relations between federal officials and Tigray regional ones and moves the region closer to the establishment of an interim government. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for close to three decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. The Tigray conflict began in late 2020.Most of Ethiopia’s 547 lawmakers voted to remove the TPLF from the terror list, with 61 objections and five abstentions, according to the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.The TPLF was added to the list in May 2012.Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a senior TPLF official, told The Associated Press the removal will be a “very good step in moving the peace agreement forward.”Ethiopia accused the TPLF of start...

India police hunt Sikh leader, arrest separatist supporters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police have launched a search for a separatist leader who has revived calls for an independent Sikh homeland, stirring fears of violence in northwestern Punjab state where there’s a history of bloody insurgency.Police have accused Amritpal Singh, a 30-year-old preacher, and his aides of creating discord in the state, which is still haunted by the memories of an armed insurgency in the 1980s for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan. The insurgency had prompted a controversial military operation by the Indian government that killed thousands of people, according to official estimates. Authorities have deployed thousands of paramilitary soldiers to the state and suspended mobile internet services in some areas to prevent unrest, Sukhchain Singh Gill, the inspector general of police for Punjab, said Wednesday. He said police have so far arrested 154 supporters of Singh and seized 10 guns and some rounds of ammunition.The hunt for Singh was launched on...

Russian drones kill 4 at Ukraine dorm, as rival summits end

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched exploding drones that killed at least four people at a student dormitory near Kyiv before dawn Wednesday, just hours after Japan’s prime minister left the Ukrainian capital following a show of support for the country. The same day, Chinese leader Xi Jinping left Moscow after discussing his proposal for ending the war, which has been rejected by the West as a non-starter.A high school and two dormitories were partially destroyed in an overnight drone attack in the city of Rzhyshchiv, south of the Ukrainian capital, local officials said. It wasn’t clear how many people were in the dormitories at the time.The body of a 40-year-old man was pulled from the rubble on a dormitory’s fifth floor, according to regional police chief Andrii Nebytov.More than 20 people were hospitalized, Nebytov said, and a few others were unaccounted for. Ukrainian air defenses downed 16 of the 21 drones launched by Russia, the Ukraine General Staff said. E...

Edmunds: The hottest electric cars to check out in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

Electric vehicles, or EVs, had their best-selling year in 2022. Their market share surpassed 5% according to Edmunds data, which is nearly double than 2021. In 2023, EV sales should continue to soar. But more importantly for consumers, there will also be a larger selection of models to choose from, including electric sedans, SUVs and luxury models. The experts at Edmunds choose five of the most intriguing new EVs, sorted by price, rolling into dealerships this year.2024 CHEVROLET EQUINOX EV Chevrolet will launch two electric SUVs with familiar names: the Blazer EV and the Equinox EV. Of the two, the smaller Equinox could be the more significant simply by virtue of its price; Chevrolet estimates it will start around $30,000. That undercuts all of its rivals and is not much more than the gas-powered Equinox, which has nothing in common but size.For that low price, the Equinox EV provides an estimated 250 miles of range, which should be suitable for many EV shoppers. Chevy will also of...

A spring renewal for Canada’s housing market?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:00 GMT

Realtors are expecting Canadians to move off the housing market’s sidelines this spring.They expect potential buyers to start hunting for a home because the Bank of Canada has eased up on interest rate hikes.The quick succession of increases eroded buying power as borrowing costs rose and sent prices falling, discouraging sellers from listing their homes.With Canadian Real Estate Association data showing average prices have dropped 19 per cent from their February peak of $816,578 to $662,437 last month and BMO Capital Markets’ chief economist predicting they will bottom out after falling 20 to 25 per cent, realtors see many edging toward a purchase once more.“We got a flood of buyers in January, in February and we still are getting more and more and we started seeing multiple offers return and bully offers return,” said Michelle Gilbert, a Toronto broker with Sage Real Estate Ltd.“We’ve started getting calls where buyers are just like ‘I thi...