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Russia’s ‘elections’ in occupied Ukraine are a charade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

Harald Hartvig Jepsen is senior international advisor at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Peter Erben is principal advisor at IFES and senior country director at IFES Ukraine.On September 10, Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) plans to stage four regional “elections,” 79 municipality “elections” and a “by-election” to the State Duma for “new subjects of the Russian Federation.” But this is yet another of the Kremlin’s faux “elections” running roughshod over the very principle of democracy.Do not be deceived. There will be nothing free or fair about them — they are being conducted purely for propaganda purposes. The outcomes are preordained as any “election” or “plebiscite” organized by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin: The “election” officers, as well as Russian soldiers, will see to that.In Putin’s Orwellian doublespeak, “new subjects” refers to Ukrainian territories illegally occupied by Russian forces. Some of these territories have bee...

Passenger describes close call as pilot told to abort takeoff at Logan Airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

An investigation got underway Monday after a close call involving two planes at Logan Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration in a statement said the incident happened shortly before 1 p.m. At the time, the FAA said, an air traffic controller told an American Airlines pilot to cancel a takeoff because a Spirit Airlines flight was close to a line on the runway where planes are supposed to stop. The FAA said the controller made the decision “out of an abundance of caution” and said an investigation was ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon. American Airlines in a separate statement said its flight was scheduled to travel from Boston to Chicago and returned to its gate after its takeoff clearance was canceled.American Airlines said the flight took off later in the afternoon around 2:30 p.m.  “The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority and we apologize for the delay in our customer’s travel plans,” American Airlines said. 7NEWS spoke wi...

Alex Verdugo hits leadoff homer, Red Sox beat Nationals 5-4 in series opener

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo led off the game with a homer and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series.Boston, which remained three games behind Toronto for the American League’s last wild-card spot, has won six of eight. The Red Sox improved to 9-1 at Nationals Park.Stone Garrett and Keibert Ruiz each drove in two runs for the Nationals, who had won 12 of their last 14 at home.After Verdugo’s ninth home run and second career leadoff blast, Triston Casas made it 3-0 with a two-run single in the third off Josiah Gray (7-10). Washington responded in the bottom of the inning as Ruiz and Garrett delivered two-run doubles.The Red Sox chased Gray after Jarren Duran led off the fourth with a single and Pablo Reyes followed with a double. Duran scored on Verdugo’s sacrifice fly, and Reyes came in on reliever Robert Garcia’s wild pitch.John Schreiber (2-1) pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He was the secon...

Jose Butto gives up 3 runs after getting call to make spot start, Mets lose to Pirates, 7-4

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

The Mets called up Jose Butto from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday knowing that they might need a pitcher to provide length out of the bullpen. This has often been the case for the Mets this season and it’s one of the factors that led them to sell at the trade deadline two weeks ago.Their premonition proved correct. Left-hander David Peterson lasted only 3 2/3 innings and Butto, a spot starter, took over from there, taking the loss (0-2) after a seventh-inning blowup in the Mets’ 7-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Citi Field.The series is now tied at 1-1.Peterson held the Pirates (54-66) to only one run but struggled with his command right away. He walked six hitters and hit one, exiting in the fourth with one on and two outs. Butto was mostly effective until the seventh, when suddenly no one could find the strike zone.With the game tied 1-1, the right-hander loaded the bases with one out. He walked leadoff hitter Andrew McCutchen, gave up a double to Co...

Bryce Elder, Braves one-hit Yankees as Bombers drop to .500

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

ATLANTA — Luis Severino found himself an out away from escaping a jam that he created, but the pitcher’s first-inning woes continued on Tuesday against the Braves.Severino’s night began with a single off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. The Yankees’ right-hander then tried to pick the speedster off of first base. Acuña Jr. had been leaning, but Severino delivered an errant throw that put the runner on third.Severino was able to record two straight outs after that, but a walk to Matt Olson set Marcell Ozuna up for a three-run homer to straightaway center field. That gave the Braves, baseball’s best team, an early lead that they never relinquished in a 5-0, series-securing win over the Yankees.Severino, one of the worst starters in the majors this season, settled in for a few innings after that, but a fourth-inning error by third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa preceded another dinger to center. Acuña Jr. produced the second blow for his 27th home ru...

Hawaii governor says death toll from Maui wildfires is 101. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii, killing dozens of people and destroying the historic town of Lahaina. The wildfires are the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The cause was under investigation. Even where the fires have retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes.The blaze that burned through the town of Lahaina on Maui last week has killed at least 101 people, Hawaii’s governor said Tuesday, as recovery efforts continue.“We are heartsick that we’ve had such loss,” Gov. Josh Green said during a news conference Tuesday.The fire is the deadliest in the U.S. in the past century. It has surpassed the toll of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, which left 85 dead.A century earlier, the 1918 Cloquet Fire broke out in drought-stricken northern Minnesota and raced through a number of r...

Bullpen slams door as Red Sox open road trip with 5-4 win over Nationals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

Last season it felt like no lead was safe for the Red Sox, whose leaky bullpen could never be trusted to close out tight games.What a difference a year makes.Boasting arguably its best bullpen since the 2018 playoffs, the Red Sox slammed the door on the Washington Nationals in emphatic fashion Tuesday, retiring 16 of the game’s last 17 batters to pull out a 5-4 win. Pablo Reyes scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth, and from there the Nationals only got one baserunner the rest of the way.“They did an outstanding job,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “That’s the beauty of having (Garrett Whitlock) back, right? We know he can go two tomorrow, so we’ll mix and match tomorrow with him and take a chance, but they did an amazing job.”Early on the game felt like a throwback to the pre-pitch clock era, as starting pitchers Josiah Gray and Nick Pivetta labored through some long, drawn out innings. By the end of the third th...

Death toll from devastating Maui fire reaches 101, Hawaii governor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — A mobile morgue unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify the remains of people killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui, as the death rose above 100 and teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.Gov. Josh Green announced the confirmed death toll had risen from 99 to 101 in an afternoon video address, saying, “We are heartsick that we’ve had such loss.”The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agency's deputy assistant secretary for response.“It’s going to be a very, very difficult mission,” Greene said. “And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.”A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many survivors started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displa...

McCarthy floats stopgap funding to prevent a government shutdown at the end of next month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

Washington (AP) — Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month, acknowledging the House and Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels to keep federal operations running.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the idea of a months-long funding package, known as a continuing resolution, to House Republicans on a members-only call Monday evening, according to those familiar with the private session and granted anonymity to discuss it. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the two leaders had spoken about such a temporary measure. It would extend federal funding operations into December to allow more time to work on the annual spending bills.“I thought it was a good thing that he recognized that we need a CR,” Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on a call.“We hope that our House Republicans will realize that any funding resolution has to be bipartisan or they will risk shutting down the gove...

North Korea asserts US soldier Travis King crossed border after becoming disillusioned with America

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:06 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea asserted Wednesday that a U.S. soldier who bolted across the heavily armed Korean border last month did so after becoming disillusioned with the inequality of American society and racial discrimination in its Army.It was North Korea’s first official confirmation of detention of Pvt. Travis King, who had been serving in South Korea and sprinted into the North while on a civilian tour of a border village on July 18. He became the first American confirmed to be detained in the North in nearly five years.The official Korean Central News Agency, citing an investigation by relevant North Korean authorities, reported that King told them he decided to enter North Korea because he “harbored ill feelings against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.”The report said King also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country, saying he “was disillusioned at the unequal American society.”KCNA is ...