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Rishi Sunak blasts Russia’s ‘new low’ as MI6 investigates Ukraine dam explosion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

ON BOARD THE PRIME MINISTER’S JET — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday’s attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine would constitute a “new low” if shown to be the work of Russian forces.Speaking onboard a British government plane to Washington D.C. as he prepares for his first White House summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, Sunak said British military and intelligence agencies were examining the evidence but that it was “too soon” to make a “definitive judgement” about the cause of the dam’s collapse. But, he added, if proven to be an intentional act “it would represent the largest attack on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine since the start of the war” and “demonstrate new lows” in terms of Russian aggression. Sunak added that while he expected to discuss the latest developments in the war with Biden on Thursday, the immediate response would be humanitarian as thousands are evacuated from the Kherson region amid serious flooding....

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu passenger in vehicle involved in crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

(WHDH) — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a car crash on Tuesday, her office confirmed.In a statement, Wu’s Office said, “We can confirm the mayor was a passenger in a vehicular crash earlier today. Thankfully no one sustained any major injuries. The Boston Police Department will conduct an investigation of the incident as they do with all crashes involving departmental motor vehicles.”No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Police investigating after 2 11-year-olds struck by vehicle in Brockton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

Brockton police are investigating after two 11-year-olds were struck and injured by a vehicle on Tuesday, officials said.Officers responding to a reported crash involving two pedestrians in the area of 1154 Warren Ave. around 5 p.m. assisted with transporting the children to a nearby hospital. One of them is being airlifted to a Boston hospital for further treatment.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Judge ‘doing better,’ but still no diagnosis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

Dr. Christopher Ahmad had a busy night planned in the Bronx on Tuesday.The physician was scheduled to meet with several injured Yankees, most notably Aaron Judge. Judge injured his right big toe while making a gate-breaking catch at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, and he was not in the lineup Sunday or Tuesday.The Yankees had an off day on Monday, during which Judge underwent testing. Still, Aaron Boone didn’t provide much of an update when he met with reporters before Tuesday’s game against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium.“Not really,” the manager said when asked if there’s anything new with Judge. “He’s doing better today.”Boone added that Judge received treatment on Tuesday and that swelling has improved. But when asked if it was made clear to him whether or not Judge’s toe is broken, the skipper didn’t want to comment on what “the preliminary tech reads.”“We’ll get the real reads tonight, and the han...

Florida official says migrants flown to California went willingly, refutes claims of coercion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

By TRÂN NGUYỄN and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ (Associated Press)SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said Tuesday that three dozen migrants whom the state flew from the U.S. southern border to California on private planes all went willingly, refuting allegations by California officials that the individuals were coerced to travel under false pretenses.Two planes arrived in Sacramento, on Friday and Monday, each carrying asylum-seekers mostly from Colombia and Venezuela. The individuals had been picked up in El Paso, Texas, taken to New Mexico and then put on charter flights to California’s capital of Sacramento, said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. He’s investigating whether any violations of criminal or civil law occurred.Alecia Collins, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a statement that “through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to Calif...

Citizens embark on chaotic scramble to escape floodwaters after Ukraine dam breach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV (Associated Press)KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — As shelling from Russia’s war on Ukraine echoed overhead, dozens of evacuees on an island in the Dnieper River scurried onto the tops of military trucks or into rafts to flee rising floodwaters caused by the breach of a dam upstream. The unnerving bark of dogs left behind further soured the mood of those ferried to safety. A woman in one raft clutched the head of her despondent daughter. A stalled military truck stuck in swelling waters raised the panic level as Red Cross teams tried to manage an orderly evacuation.Nobody knew just how high the waters rushing through a gaping hole in the Kakhovka dam would rise, or whether people or pets would escape alive. The scrambled evacuation by boat and military truck from an island neighborhood off the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson downstream on Tuesday testified to the latest human chaos caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.Ukrainian authorities accused Russia...

Two Republicans to jump into race for open Senate seat last held by Anne Gobi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

Two Republicans plan to announce this week campaigns for the Senate seat last held by Anne Gobi, who left the Legislature this month to serve in the Healey administration, teeing up a special election sometime this year.State Rep. Peter Durant, a Spencer Republican, made his run official Monday in updated filings with the state’s campaign finance office after the Herald reported his intentions last week. Durant plans to formally announce his campaign Wednesday at 11 a.m. on the Holden Common.Rebekah Etique, the 24-year-old former campaign manager of the last Republican to challenge Gobi and lose, said she will also seek her party’s nomination.“This is something I’ve been strategically thinking on for a while, so it’s time and I’m announcing it this week,” she told the Herald during a telephone interview on Monday. “I think it’s a really great time.”Etique, a paralegal, ran the campaign of James Amorello in 2022, when he managed to grab 46% of the general election vote despite runnin...

Multiple people injured in shooting near Virginia Commonwealth University, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A shooting near Virginia Commonwealth University in downtown Richmond injured multiple people Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said.There was no longer an active threat to the community, according to police spokeswoman Tracy Walker.It wasn’t immediately clear what led to the shooting in the area of Monroe Park, which is near the VCU campus and a large theater.VCU advised the community in an online alert around 5:30 p.m. that police were responding after shots were fired.Matthew Stanley, a spokesman for Richmond Public Schools, said via email that he did not have full details about what transpired but was able to confirm that an incident took place in Monroe Park after a high school graduation.Richmond Public Schools said on its website that a different graduation scheduled for later Tuesday had been canceled “out of an abundance of caution.”State police sent an alert warning people to avoid the area.

Virtual meetings are bad for business, Boston Council president says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

Boston City Council President Ed Flynn is trying to get his colleagues on board with a proposal that would eliminate virtual meetings and hearings, saying that having everyone back in person is good for business.Flynn filed a hearing order for the Wednesday City Council meeting, that aims to foster discussion around reverting back to a pre-pandemic, in-person-only format for public officials taking part in municipal meetings.Virtual accessibility would continue to be offered for the public and persons with disabilities, the order states.An in-person format would support the local economy, Flynn’s office said Tuesday, by bringing back city board members and staffers, attorneys, project proponents and residents to meetings, some of whom are bound to visit restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses.“Downtown Boston plays a key role in driving our economy,” Flynn said in a statement. “I am hoping for a productive conversation as we work to continue to bring foot traffic, business an...

Lawmaker wants hospitals to have test kits on hand amid drink spiking concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:55 GMT

Madeline LeBlanc, a Northeastern University student who lives in Pembroke, said she believes her drink was spiked in August 2018.“I was brought to the hospital where I was treated like a dumb, drunk teenage girl,” LeBlanc told a group of lawmakers on Tuesday. “They didn’t have any testing available to test me for date rape drugs. So since then, I have lived with not knowing if and what was placed into my drink that night.”And during her first week in college in September 2019, LeBlanc said she was raped.“I do believe that my drink was spiked by the monster who raped me, but I will never have proof because again, testing was not available, even with the rape kit,” she said. “There has been a lot of unknown with both of these traumatic events. I wonder what drugs were put into my drink and were they different drugs both times? I wonder how many people they have done this too.”LeBlanc said she supports legislation from state Sen. Paul Feeney that would require hospitals across th...