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Turkey’s jailed electoral kingmaker predicts Erdoğan’s demise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

The man who stands to shape Turkey’s historic election next month — in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is seeking to consolidate his 20 year grip on power — is running his campaign from a prison cell, and he reckons he has an edge. Selahattin Demirtaş, a former presidential candidate and party leader, is spending his seventh year behind bars on terrorism charges in a high-security prison near the Greek border. Even so, he still wields huge influence in the knife-edge May 14 presidential and parliamentary election, largely because of the votes of millions of Kurds, who represent around a fifth of the NATO member’s population of 85 million. Those Kurdish votes are now likely to prove decisive, and Demirtaş estimates his party, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), represents about two-thirds of them. “In this critical election where even half a percent is crucial, Kurdish voters will be very influential in determining the outcome,” he told POLITICO in...

EU warns Rishi Sunak against plan to bypass human rights courts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

LONDON — The EU has issued private warnings to the U.K. government against any attempt to bypass decisions by the European Court of Human Rights in order to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, multiple senior diplomats have said.European Commission and member state officials have expressed repeated concerns about the Illegal Migration Bill, a key plank of Rishi Sunak’s pledge to stop small boat crossings of the English Channel, which is back in the Commons for further scrutiny Wednesday. The proposed law would mean anyone who arrived in the U.K. illegally would be deported, even if they had made an asylum claim.After weeks of talks with restless backbench MPs on both sides of the Tory Party, U.K. ministers struck twin deals late last week — with right-wing Conservatives to make the law even tougher, and with moderate Tories to establish more “safe and legal routes” to Britain.As a result, the U.K. government appears on a collision course with EU politicians who have already voiced...

Rocky road ahead as EU reforms government spending rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

BRUSSELS ― The European Commission has inched closer to meeting German demands over reforms to how the EU polices government spending ― but it’s unlikely to be enough to win Berlin’s immediate support.The thrust of the proposals, the draft of which was obtained by POLITICO, is to force EU countries to shrink public debts at their own speed rather than having to comply with a uniform rate of reduction as is currently the case. The idea, to be unveiled on Wednesday, is that governments will “own” the rules and so become more likely to adhere to them, and that the Commission will enforce them more strictly than in the past.The spending rules, known as the Stability and Growth Pact and beefed up amid the eurozone debt crisis a decade ago, have long been one of the fundamental tensions at the heart of the European Union. With the COVID pandemic and war in Ukraine leaving countries with increasing piles of debt, Brussels seized the opportunity to adapt the rules and make ...

FDA grants accelerated approval for new drug to treat rare form of ALS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

There is a new tool available to fight a rare form of ALS after the FDA on Tuesday granted accelerated approval for a new injectable drug from the Cambridge-based company Biogen.The company’s drug is the first drug approved to treat the inherited form of ALS, a deadly and debilitating disease that destroys nerve cells needed for walking, talking and even breathing. ALS treatment and research has advanced significantly with the help of money raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge, which was inspired by former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates. Frates passed away in 2019 after a seven-year battle with ALS. 7NEWS spoke to Frates’ mother, Nancy Frates on Tuesday. Nancy Frates was on the patient advisory board for the drug, tofersen, and said this treatment is one step closer to finding a cure. “What we’re doing is we’re building,” she said. “We know this is not going to be be one pill to cure this disease. But what we’re build...

Police investigating after person stabbed in Dorchester

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

Police responded Tuesday night after a person was stabbed in Dorchester, officials said. The incident happened on Oldfields Road, leaving a victim with life-threatening injuries, according to police. The person was taken to a hospital. Police did not say whether they had made any arrests. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Boston city councilor proposes new pest control department and ‘rat czar’ to tackle rodent complaints

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

A Boston city councilor has a plan to address a rise in rodent complaints in Boston as he calls for a new pest control department and a so-called “Rat Czar” in the city. The plan is being implemented in other big cities. In Boston, City Council president Ed Flynn recently discussed his idea.“It’s impacting public health,” Flynn said of the city’s rat problem. “It’s impacting public safety, quality of life of residents.”Several city departments are currently tasked with responding to rodent complaints. Flynn said they’re trying to tackle the issue, responding to complaints and even putting rat traps outside some restaurants and homes. He continued though, saying he believes a team dedicated strictly to rodents could make a difference. The team, he said, would be “one department, one individual that would oversee the whole operation, coordinating efforts.”Part of the mission would involve educating people about the right way to take out trash with...

Yankees’ offense, defense come up short in loss to Twins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

MINNESOTA — With the Yankees’ offense struggling, Aaron Judge made it known Monday that he wanted the Bombers to score sooner.The Yankees had just wrapped up a loss to the Twins and a stretch of games that saw the majority of their limited runs come in the eighth inning or later. It was a case of too little, too late, and Judge hoped to end it.“We got to try to just jump out early on teams, score early and kind of put the pressure on them,” Judge said. “Right now, we’re kind of taking a while getting into the game, feeling it, and just not doing the job. So we gotta jump on ‘em early.”On Tuesday, the Yankees fulfilled the captain’s wish with some help from Judge himself. The outfielder singled with two outs in the first, and DJ LeMahieu drove Judge in with a single after the latter advanced on a wild pitch.But the early run hardly solved the Yankees’ offensive woes, and they dropped another game to Minnesota, 6-2.The Yankee...

Revolution top Hartford Athletic 2-1 in U.S. Cup match

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

FOXBORO – The New England Revolution advanced to round four of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 victory over Hartford Athletic on Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium.Hartford Athletic (1-4-2) competes in the United Soccer League.The Revolution (7-1-2) extended their unbeaten streak to seven games and improved to 5-0-1 at home. The Revolution resume MLS play at Gillette on Saturday night (7:30) against FC Cincinnati with first place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs.“All of these things are a little bit challenging and this stuff gets a little bit crazy,” said Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. “Our players have to learn to play three games in a week.“This is the first time this year we are put to that test and we are going to need to prevail in these types of situations. As we move into the second half of the MLS season, we will be playing games in the middle of the week as well.”Arena promised to put a competitive team on the pitch against Hartford following the Revs 2-1 ...

Celtics suffer epic fourth-quarter meltdown, fall to Hawks in Game 5

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

The Celtics claimed they had learned their lesson.In their run to the NBA Finals last season, they relaxed, according to Jayson Tatum, in series against the Bucks and Heat. They eventually got through to the championship round, but made it harder on themselves in the process.After they took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Hawks, Tatum wanted the Celtics to act with the urgency and awareness they lacked in those moments last spring.They didn’t. And, unfathomably, this series is heading back to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday.The Celtics were in control, well on their way to closing out the inferior Hawks. But then they blew it in disastrous fashion. They coughed it all away, blowing a 12-point lead as Trae Young and the Hawks stole the night. The Celtics lost, 119-117, after an epic meltdown, their worst loss of the season.Jaylen Brown scored 35 points in a dominant performance, but it was no match for Young, who scored 38 points and hit three 3-pointers down the stretch – inclu...

Baseball’s new electronic strike zone debuts in Worcester

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:16 GMT

WORCESTER — With two outs, the count 2-2 and a man on third, James Paxton dotted a 95.7 mph heater right on the lower inside corner. Home plate umpire Dane Ponscak wasted no time, immediately ringing up Andres Chaparro for a called strike three to end the first inning.It looked like any strikeout you’ve ever seen at the ballpark, only this time the call wasn’t actually made by the home plate umpire at all, but by a machine.Tuesday marked the debut of baseball’s Automated Ball/Strike System in Triple-A, the latest step for baseball’s electronic strike zone system after four years of testing at the lower levels of the minors.Two versions of the system will be used. On Tuesday through Thursday games will be played with all pitches called using ABS, and Friday through Sunday a Challenge system will be used.If this season’s trial run goes well, it’s possible we could see some version of the electronic strike zone adopted in Major League Baseball as soo...