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Scottish National Party on course to lose half its seats to Labour in 2024, poll finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

LONDON — The Scottish National Party is set to lose more than half of its current seats at Westminster to a resurgent Scottish Labour, according to new research.In a fresh blow for the pro-independence party — which has been rocked by the arrests of top figures in connection with a finances probe — YouGov projected that Labour is on track to take 23 seats from the SNP, which currently holds 45 seats in the Westminster House of Commons. YouGov’s MRP modelling — which uses polling analysis to project the results of individual constituencies — said that if a general election were held tomorrow, the SNP would win 27 seats (down from 48 in the 2019 election); Scottish Labour 24 seats (up from 1); the Scottish Tories 4 seats (down from 6); and the Lib Dems 4 seats (no change). The next U.K. general election is widely expected in 2024.The majority of Labour’s gains from the SNP are projected to come in Scotland’s central belt, between its largest cities of Edinburgh and G...

UK’s Suella Braverman won’t be investigated over speeding fine, Rishi Sunak decides

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak has decided not to order his ethics adviser to look into a top minister’s controversial handling of a speeding offense.In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman Wednesday, the U.K. prime minister said he had been advised that “further investigation is not necessary” after days of focus on her conduct.According to reports in the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday, Braverman — while attorney general in 2022 — asked civil servants to try and arrange a one-on-one driving awareness course after she was caught speeding.In the U.K., people who have broken the speed limit can opt to attend a course rather than pay a fine — but these are usually run as group sessions. A private course could therefore have reduced the likelihood of other motorists recognizing the senior minister in a public session.The officials reportedly refused to pursue the idea on advice from the Cabinet Office, with Braverman — a key figure on the right of the governing Conservative Pa...

EU’s Johansson slams Greece over ‘deportation’ of migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson criticized Greece for reportedly forcing migrants onto an emergency raft and abandoning them in the Aegean Sea.In an interview with POLITICO, Johansson said the episode was more than a pushback — when migrants are forced away after crossing a border.“What seems to be in these videos is a deportation,” Johansson said, adding she had no reason to doubt the footage obtained by the New York Times.“If this turns out to be the truth, and [the NYT’s videos] very much point in that direction, of course, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” the commissioner said.The EU on Monday called on the Greek government to investigate allegations of illegal migrant deportations, after footage showed a vessel from the Greek coast guard taking a dozen migrants into the Aegean Sea, where it left them on a motorless raft. They were later picked up by the Turkish coast guard.Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who landed a major electoral victory Sunday but ...

French defense minister opposes American takeover of nuclear firm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

PARIS — France’s defense minister Sébastien Lecornu said he would veto the takeover of nuclear-submarine parts supplier Segault by American industrial machinery giant Flowserve.“The defense ministry will veto the loss of operational control over company Segault,” Lecornu told French lawmakers Tuesday evening. “I never announced it publicly, but it’s done,” he said. “For us it’s simple: we don’t want Segault to be controlled by an American company,” said an official from the defense ministry who was not authorized to be named.France’s economy ministry, which has the final word on the file, was however quick to stress that no decision had been made. “The foreign investment screening procedure is ongoing,” said a French economy ministry spokesperson, declining to comment on the potential outcome. While the defense ministry participates in the decision-making, the French economy ministry makes the final ruling...

Harvard Pilgrim says patient information may have been stolen during cyber attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

Patient information may have been stolen during a ransomware incident that hit Harvard Pilgrim Health Care earlier this year, the health care company said this week. Point32Health, which serves as the parent company for Harvard Pilgrim, said it learned about the incident on April 17 and took systems offline while working to identify the cybersecurity problem. Just over a month later, Harvard Pilgrim said an investigation into the breach showed signs that data was copied and taken from Harvard Pilgrim systems between March 28 and April 17.“We determined that the files at issue may contain the following types of personal information and/or protected health information: names, physical addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, health insurance account information, Social Security numbers, provider taxpayer identification numbers, and clinical information,” the company said.Harvard Pilgrim said the breach could impact current or former subscribers and dependents, a...

No school for some Marion students after sprinkler issue causes flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

There’s no school Wednesday for some students in Marion after an issue involving a sprinkler left a school flooded.The Old Rochester Regional School District shared photos of water damage overnight at Sippican Elementary.The school district says it will keep families updated about when they can expect students to return to class.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

The Orioles play more close games than anyone else. That could mean more close losses. | ANALYSIS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has often quipped after his team’s narrow victories that it’s acceptable for Baltimore to, on occasion, blow another team out.The 2023 edition, despite its strong start to the season, has generally refused to oblige. Tuesday’s 6-5 walk-off loss to the New York Yankees was the Orioles’ 48th game. Only four of them have been decided by more than four runs; the most recent of those, an 8-3 victory Sunday to complete a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, lasted 11 innings.On Tuesday, the Orioles built a four-run advantage in the early innings, lost it in the middle frames, took a one-run lead and held it until the ninth, when Félix Bautista allowed a game-tying home run to slugging star Aaron Judge before New York won it in the 10th.“We play so many close games, we’re bound to lose one once in a while that’s tight like that,” Hyde said.To Baltimore’s credit, “once in a while” is apt. The Los ...

A love letter ‘About My Father’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

A super successful standup whose 5th Netflix special aired in December, Sebastian Maniscalco now births a passion project, the comedy “About My Father,” inspired by – yes! – his Italian immigrant dad with no less than Robert De Niro cast as his parent.“The most comfortable I am anywhere in life is doing standup on stage,” Maniscalco, 49, said in a phone interview last week. “I feel at home there. But I love stepping out of the box and thought this would be a nice departure.“It’s a love letter to my father,” who turns 77  June 17th. “I’m very proud of it. Not everybody gets to give their father a movie. The fact that he’s still alive and loving every minute of it. He did a press tour with me — Gayle King, Mario Lopez.“Never would I have thought in my entire life that my father would be next to Robert De Niro doing an interview.”This “Father” began six years ago when Maniscalco and his writing partner Austin Earl decided to write about “loosely based events in ...

Celtics produce ‘best’ defensive game to avoid being swept by Heat: ‘That’s what we have to do’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

MIAMI — As the shot clock ticked down, Jimmy Butler got the matchup he wanted on a play early in the fourth quarter. One he has feasted on in these Eastern Conference Finals, especially in Game 2. With Jayson Tatum guarding him, Butler called for Caleb Martin to set a screen so he could switch on to Martin’s man, Grant Williams.This time, though, it was a different result.Butler got to his favorite spot near the baseline, but was shut off by Williams. He stopped his dribble, he offered a quick pump fake. Williams didn’t bite. Williams spun, looking for a play. When nothing else was available, he tried to fire a tough fadeaway shot with the shot click expiring. Williams stood stall. He stuffed it, then took the ball with him.“The block I had was just one play over the course of 100 possessions in the game,” Williams said after the Celtics’ 116-99 victory over the Heat in Tuesday’s Game 4.In a vacuum, Williams was right. But the play embodied a triumphant night for the Celtics as they...

Court annuls EU approval of $140 million of COVID-19 aid for Italian airlines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union court ruled Wednesday that the European Commission was wrong to approve millions of euros (dollars) in aid to help Italian airlines cope with the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.The EU general court said the European Commission — the bloc’s executive arm — failed to provide “a statement of reasons for its finding that the measure at issue was not contrary to EU law provisions other than those governing state aid.”The 27 EU member countries must seek approval from the bloc’s executive branch when granting financial support to companies. Many countries across Europe did so in 2020 to help keep their airlines afloat during the pandemic.In October 2020, Italian authorities informed the European Commission of their plans to provide 130 million euros ($140 million) to airlines holding an Italian license under certain conditions, and the commission did not raise objections.To benefit from the aid, airlines were required to pay their Italy-based em...