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Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism claims, backlash from antisemitism testimony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.Gay announced her departure, which came just months into her tenure, in a letter to the Harvard community.She and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania came under fire last month for their lawyerly answers to a line of questioning from New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate the colleges’ code of conduct. The three presidents had been called before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer accusations that universities were failing to protect Jewish students amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticis...

Turkey arrests 33 suspected of spying for Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

Turkish authorities have arrested 33 people suspected of carrying out “international espionage” for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.Police carried out a large operation across eight provinces near Istanbul, as part of an investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT).Yerlikaya said Israeli intelligence was attempting to organize attacks against foreign nationals residing in Turkey, including identifying, tracking and kidnapping them.“We will never allow espionage activities against the national unity and solidarity of our country,” Yerlikaya said.Turkish state media Anadolu Agency reported that police were still looking for 13 suspects.Relations between Turkey and Israel have soured amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which approximately 22,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.Turkish...

Harvard President Claudine Gay is resigning after antisemitism testimony, plagiarism claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

Harvard President Claudine Gay is resigning following the intense backlash over comments she made about antisemitism on campus, along with claims that she has plagiarized.“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” Gay wrote to the Harvard community on Tuesday. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.“But, after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual,” she added in the letter.She will be resuming her faculty position at Harvard.Gay has been under fire f...

A new test could save arthritis patients time, money and pain. But will it be used?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

Arthur Allen | KFF Health News (TNS)SAN DIEGO — Erinn Maury knew Remicade wasn’t the right drug for Patti Schulte, a rheumatoid arthritis patient the physician saw at her Millersville, Maryland, practice. Schulte’s swollen, painful joints hadn’t responded to Enbrel or Humira, two drugs in the same class.But the insurer insisted, so Schulte went on Remicade. It didn’t work either.What’s more, Schulte suffered a severe allergic reaction to the infusion therapy, requiring a heavy dose of prednisone, a steroid with grave side effects if used at high doses for too long.After 18 months, her insurer finally approved Maury’s drug of choice, Orencia. By then, Schulte’s vertebrae, weakened by prednisone, had started cracking. She was only 60.Schulte’s story of pain, drug-hopping, and insurance meddling is all too common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, who often cycle agonizingly through half a dozen drugs in search of one that provides a measure of relief. It’s also a story of how d...

10 best money-making apps in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

René Bennett | Bankrate (TNS)Technology is making it easier than ever to make a little extra cash, whether it’s taking on side gigs or getting rewarded for certain purchases. With a money-making app, you can look for gigs, deals and other ways to earn money simply by browsing on your mobile phone.There’s a slew of money-making apps available on the market tailored to a variety of skills and needs. These apps are some of the best to help you make a bit of extra money.Best apps to make moneyApp | Best forRakutenCash back onlineIbottaCash back in-storeUpsideCash back on gasDepopSelling clothesSwagbucksApp-based tasksTaskRabbitLocal tasksFiverrFreelancingSurvey JunkieTaking surveysUrbanSitterBabysittingRocket MoneySaving on bills and subscriptions1. Rakuten: Best for cash back on online purchasesRakuten is an app that earns you cash back for shopping at over 3,500 stores online. It works by partnering with different stores and getting paid a commission for sales, which is then shared wi...

Red Sox announce pitchers and catchers report date

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

The 2024 Red Sox season will unofficially kick off on Wednesday, Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers hold their first formal workout of the spring. The first full-squad workout will be held five days later on Feb. 19.The Red Sox confirmed their first slate of workouts as part of a larger announcement that spring training tickets will go on sale Friday, Jan. 5, starting at 10 a.m.The Red Sox also announced “Truck Day,” when the club’s equipment truck leaves Fenway Park for Fort Myers, will take place on Feb. 5, and there will be an Open House held at JetBlue Park on Saturday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The street festival will be free and open to the public and feature concessions and entertainment across Fenway South Drive.The club will play a total of 17 games at JetBlue Park, including 15 Grapefruit League games, the annual exhibition against Northeastern University and a “Spring Breakout” game featuring the club’s top prospects. The Northe...

Democrat Dylan Fernandes raises $80K in bid for Plymouth and Barnstable Senate seat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

Falmouth Democrat Rep. Dylan Fernandes said Tuesday he raised a whopping $83,664 in December, the first month of his campaign for a South Shore and Cape Cod Senate seat where the incumbent is not running for reelection.Fernandes said he received the cash from 350 donors in four weeks after he announced his bid for the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which Sen. Susan Moran, a Democrat, said she will not seek reelection to as she pursues an elected county post.Fernandes said he is “deeply humbled” by the support he received.“It shows early support for our campaign to bring new energy and experienced leadership to make our communities a more affordable and vibrant place to live,” he said in a statement.Details of Fernandes’ December fundraising haul were not immediately available on the state’s campaign finance website.The fourth-term state representative drew the endorsement of Gov. Maura Healey last month, who touted Fernandes as a politician focused on affordable...

More retailers are charging return fees. Here’s how to pay less

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

By Kimberly Palmer | NerdWalletIf you’re someone who likes to return and exchange gifts after the holidays, prepare yourself: Making returns could feel a little different this year.“It’s going to be hard for consumers to navigate,” says shopping expert Trae Bodge. “The return policies are all over the place.” The biggest change, she adds, is that more retailers are charging fees for returned merchandise.About 40% of online and brick-and-mortar retailers are charging fees for returns this year compared with 31% last year, according to David Morin, vice president of customer strategy at Narvar, which handles shipping, tracking and returns information post-purchase for online retailers. Those return shipping or restocking fees are generally $3.99 to $9.99, he says.The good news is there are ways to minimize return fees and in some cases avoid them altogether. Here’s what experts recommend.Review return policies in advanceBecause retailer return policies vary so much and many have recen...

US women are stocking up on abortion pills, especially when there is news about restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

By LAURA UNGAR (AP Science Writer)Thousands of women stocked up on abortion pills just in case they needed them, new research shows, with demand peaking in the past couple years at times when it looked like the medications might become harder to get. Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the U.S., and typically involves two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. A research letter published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at requests for these pills from people who weren’t pregnant and sought them through Aid Access, a European online telemedicine service that prescribes them for future and immediate use.Aid Access received about 48,400 requests from across the U.S. for so-called “advance provision” from September 2021 through April 2023. Requests were highest right after news leaked in May 2022 that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade — but before the formal announcement that June, researchers found. Nationally, t...

Series of small explosions, no injuries reported after 1.7-magnitude quake in New York

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A 1.7 magnitude earthquake that hit New York City early Tuesday may have caused a series of small explosions on an island between Manhattan and Queens, officials said.The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake occurred at 5:45 a.m. near the Astoria section of Queens. There were no reports of injuries or structural damage and no impacts to transit, traffic or utility services, New York City Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Aries Dela Cruz said.Some residents of Manhattan and Queens reported what sounded like small explosions shortly before 6 a.m. coming from Roosevelt Island, a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer)-long strip of land in the East River between the two boroughs.Allan Drury, a spokesperson for Consolidated Edison, said officials at the utility suspect that the quake caused the explosions, since they happened around the same time. Drury said there were no power outages.The New York City earthquake happened a few hours after a 2.3 magnitude quake was r...