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Deputy PMQs scorecard as Raab and Rayner get stuck in on crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO U.K.’s weekly run-through.What they sparred about: The gloves came off early on during the exchanges between deputies Dominic Raab and Angela Rayner, who are standing in for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer while they attend the funeral of late Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd. The deputy Labour leader had a pop at Raab’s ongoing bullying probe, asking, under the government’s new anti-social behavior crackdown, “will more bullies be brought to justice?” Raab hit back: “I can assure the House I’ve never called anyone scum.” Rayner was criticized after referring to the Conservatives as “a bunch of scum” at a 2021 Labour conference event.Rayner used the rest of her questions to grill Raab over the government’s record on protecting women and girls, prosecuting rape and the curr...

UK to house migrants in ex-army barracks, mulls use of barges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. unveiled plans to house asylum seekers in ex-army barracks as it tried to cut the costs of providing them with temporary hotel accommodation.The proposals — which come amid new and controversial efforts to curb cross-Channel migration — were announced in the House Commons Wednesday by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who pointed to an “eye-watering £2.3 billion pound a year bill” for housing people as their claims are processed.But he stopped short of confirming newspaper reports that the U.K. will attempt to place people on giant barges, saying only that the Home Office is “continuing to explore the possibility of accommodating migrants in vessels as they are in Scotland and in the Netherlands.”It came as Bloomberg reported that British officials had warned against putting asylum seekers on ships moored at ports, arguing this could in fact be more expensive than housing them in hotels. Labour branded the proposals “an admission of...

Bicyclist dead after being hit by car in Lynn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

A bicyclist is dead after being hit by a car in Lynn Wednesday morning, according to police.The incident happened on Route 107 northbound between Ida and Cooper Streets. That area of the road remains closed as of 8:30 a.m., with traffic being rerouted down Ida Street.State police say they have sent their Crash Reconstruction Unit and Crime Scene Unit investigating. The incident remains under investigation and no additional information has been released.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Beloved Boston civil rights icon and activist Mel King dies, 94

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

Boston civil rights icon and community organizer Mel King died Tuesday. He was 94.King was a trailblazing advocate and political activist. He ran three times for a seat on the Boston School Committee, in 1961, 63 and 65,  losing each time, but he won a seat in the legislature, serving as state representative from 1973 to 1982.In 1983 he ran for mayor, becoming the first Black candidate to advance to the final election in Boston. He ultimately lost to Ray Flynn, but his campaign gave rise to the Rainbow Coalition, a political model subsequently used by Jesse Jackson, according a History Makers biography of King.Tributes to King are pouring in from around Boston.“This groundbreaking, truth telling, unapologetic advocate fought tirelessly for his community. His impact is felt all over our great city,” said U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins. “So honored to have learned from him. May his legacy live on.”Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement, “For decades, Mel King ta...

Coby White develops a playmaking acumen — and it comes at the perfect time for the Chicago Bulls’ postseason push

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

Coby White has quietly become one of the most important Chicago Bulls players with the ball in his hands.The reserve guard has oscillated from shooting guard to point guard throughout his career with the Bulls. But this season has seen White finally develop equal confidence making reads as he drives to the rim and shoots 3-pointers.White’s facilitating production has exploded in the final stretch, climbing to 4.2 assists per game in March after averaging fewer than two assists in the first three months of the season.“Over the course of the season, I think I earned my coach’s trust with the ball in my hands and pick-and-rolls,” White said. “I give a lot of credit to him for giving me the opportunity to play with the ball in my hands.”Developing decision-making has been a focal point for White. He isn’t quite a point guard a shooting guard, instead operating in a middle zone as he balances long-range shots with an improved ability to cut to th...

Yankees catchers hope another rule change isn’t on the horizon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

TAMPA — After a spring of change throughout Major League Baseball, players, coaches and fans will soon see how new rules impact contests that matter.Already, the pitch clock has shaved time off games. Bigger bases have led to more swipes. Shift restrictions have offered hope to pull hitters (when teams don’t exploit loopholes by using just two outfielders).But another potential change — the implementation of automated ball-strike systems, or ABS — has left some wary. That includes the Yankees’ catching tandem of Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka, two backstops who excel at pitch-framing. The skill would theoretically become obsolete — or at least significantly diminished — if MLB were to use so-called robo umps.There are two different versions of ABS. According to Baseball America’s Josh Norris, Triple-A and the Low-A Florida State League will use the systems this year. Some games will incorporate “Full ABS,” which means the...

‘Strong mayor of action’: Brad Bradford to run for Toronto’s top job

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford says he will be running for mayor in the upcoming June byelection to replace John Tory.Bradford, the councillor for Beaches-East York, told Breakfast Television on Wednesday that he is no longer just considering running but will be registering to run once the nomination process opens.“I’m running to be a strong mayor of action for Toronto – delivering results to make the city safer, make life more affordable, and make it easier to get around,” he said in a tweet.His decision to run comes on the day city council meets for the first time since the resignation of the former mayor last month.One of the item’s on the agenda will be to declare the mayor’s office vacant, and once the office is officially vacated a bylaw will be passed requiring a byelection. If approved, nominations for candidates would open on April 3.The mayoral byelection is set for June 26 with advanced voting to begin on June 8.A number of high-...

Russia stops sharing missile test info with US, opens drills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat said Wednesday that Moscow will no longer inform the U.S. about its missile tests, an announcement that came as the Russian military deployed mobile launchers in Siberia in a show of the country’s massive nuclear capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that Moscow has halted all information exchanges with Washington after previously suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the U.S. Along with the data about the current state of the countries’ nuclear forces, the parties also have exchanged advance warnings about test launches. Such notices have been an essential element of strategic stability for decades, allowing Russia and the United States to correctly interpret each other’s moves and make sure that neither country mistakes a test launch for a missile attack.The termination of missile test warnings app...

US futures follow world shares higher as bank anxiety wanes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

BEIJING — Wall Street pointed higher early Wednesday as anxiety about the global financial system began to wane somewhat following three high-profile bank failures.Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index were up 0.9% before the bell and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%.Fears that banks around the world might be cracking under the strain of interest rate hikes to cool inflation temporarily pushed aside unease about slowing economic growth. Some calm has returned after regulators announced measures to shore up the system.“Clearly, investors have not completely lost their anxiety,” Robert Carnell and Min Joo Kang of ING said in a report.The failure of two U.S. banks and one in Switzerland creates a dilemma for central bankers who are trying to cool economic activity and bring down inflation that is near multi-decade highs.The Federal Reserve and central banks in Europe and Asia normally would hike rates further. But the bank failures showed institutions are v...

Czechs protest government bid to raise retirement age

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:38:38 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech labor unions on Wednesday joined with opposition parties to protest the government’s proposed bid to raise the retirement age by four years to 68.Some 2,000 protesters gathered Wednesday in front of government offices in the capital Prague to voice their opposition to the plan. “We definitely don’t agree,” read a letter ratified at the gathering. “We will defend ourselves,” Roman Durco, the head of the KOVO labor union group that organized the rally told the angry crowd.Labor and Social Affairs Minister Marian Jurecka recently appeared to backpedal on the original pension reform proposal but his ministry said in a statement said that the retirement age raise remains on the negotiating table.The government has yet to finalize the pension reform plan it says is necessary to make the system viable.Leaders from opposition parties with and without seats in parliament took part in the demonstration, including Andrej Babis, the populist billionaire chief of ...