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France’s most feared ethics body should inspire an EU parallel, says François Hollande

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

PARIS — A decade after the creation of the most feared ethics regulator in France, former French President François Hollande defended the institution and advocated for the establishment of an EU body in a similar vein — especially in light of corruption scandals such as Qatargate.Speaking exclusively to POLITICO, the Socialist politician addressed growing criticism of France’s ethics body Haute Autorité de la Transparence pour la Vie Publique (HATVP). The regulatory agency was created following Hollande’s budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac’s resignation over allegations that he had €600,000 in a secret off-shore bank account. Ten years after this “extremely painful” birth, said Hollande, the HATVP has become a powerful regulator and should inspire an EU-wide ethics body, that would help prevent corruption scandals like the one involving members of the European Parliament now known as Qatargate. MEP Stéphane Séjourné, who leads the liberal Ren...

Slovakia risks succumbing to Russian disinformation, president warns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

BRATISLAVA — Slovakia could follow Hungary in becoming an EU problem child, the country’s president has warned. Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová told POLITICO she is worried about the spread of disinformation in her country and that an upcoming parliamentary election could erode Slovakia’s support for Ukraine. If populist parties lead the government in the fall this year, the president said in an interview, “maybe it will be more similar to Viktor Orbán-type of foreign policy.”Slovakia has been a strong supporter of Kyiv throughout the war, even providing MiG-29 jets to Ukrainian forces. But ahead of the country’s September election, Smer-SD — a populist party led by controversial former Prime Minister Robert Fico, which has called for ending military support to Ukraine — is leading in the polls. Slovakia has been a firm ally of Ukraine. But a new government could change that equation — of particular concern as Russian influence creeps across Europe.And Russian n...

Pedaling for a purpose: Best Buddies founder discusses Best Buddies Challenge ahead of 2023 ride from Boston to Hyannis Port

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

Hundreds of riders were resting up Friday for a big day on Saturday just hours before this year’s Best Buddies Challenge. With the fundraiser bike ride from Boston to Hyannis Port around the corner, 7NEWS spoke with Best Buddies founder Anthony Shriver about the ride.“It’s really an event to sort of kick-start people getting engaged in inclusion and acceptance, involved in social justice, inspiring young people to recognize that the greatest thing they can do is give back,” Shriver said.    Shriver took an idea born in his college dorm room more than 30 years ago and built Best Buddies into a global organization helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live full lives.“It’s helping them find jobs, helping them find friends, helping them create leadership opportunities for themselves — good integrated living,” Shriver said. Shriver’s biggest supporter was his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics.&nbs...

Compass Medical now faces lawsuit after sudden closure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

The Quincy-based Compass Medical is now facing legal action after its sudden shutdown earlier this week. Compass confirmed an “imminent plan” to close its practices on Wednesday, leaving hundreds without a job and thousands with health care headaches. Days later, Keches Law Group has filed a lawsuit against the company. “This business went about its closure decision in the wrong way,” said attorney Jonathan Sweet.Richard Callanan is the plaintiff in the class-action suit. An Abington resident, Callanan is married and has several children, according to Sweet.“They all receive their medical care at Compass,” Sweet said.The new lawsuit itself says Compass’ sudden closure has placed patients “…in the chaotic, stressful, disruptive, and unsafe position of having to scramble to find new medical providers, to fill and/or refill prescriptions, to schedule and/or reschedule important medical tests and appointments…”In a statement, Callanan said th...

Column: Chicago White Sox hope to shake it off in a key series against the surging Detroit Tigers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

The opener of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers on Friday might have lacked some of the anticipation of the Taylor Swift concert a few miles north.There was no bad blood between the teams, as was the case in years past. All the Sox could do after their 23-35 start in April and May was to shake it off or face the possibility of another cruel summer on the South Side.Manager Pedro Grifol was just excited to have his whole team back for the first time, with Elvis Andrus and starter Mike Clevinger coming off the injured list Friday, four days after the return of closer Liam Hendriks from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.“Having a full roster like this and having some depth is going to allow us to rest people more often than we have been able to,” Grifol said before Friday’s game. “And that’s important for us to allow bodies to recover while we still have the depth in our lineup.”How Grifol deals with the rare abundance of health...

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Boone excited to get reinforcements to open key series against the Dodgers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Boone couldn’t help but flash a smile Friday when asked how it felt to include Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson in the Yankees’ lineup for the first time in a while.“You’re talking about two sluggers in there that are just gonna add a little bit of length,” the manager said before the Bombers’ series-opener against the Dodgers.Stanton and Donaldson have been out since April 15 and April 5, respectively, thanks to hamstring injuries. The Yankees asked Stanton to bat fourth and DH on Friday, while Donaldson hit fifth and played third base.Anthony Rizzo (neck) also returned to the three-hole and first base after a few games of rest.Boone said that Stanton and Donaldson will likely play in just two of the Yankees’ games in Los Angeles. The skipper reiterated that Donaldson will play regularly as the Yankees rotate their surplus of infielders, while Stanton likely won’t play the field for a couple of weeks as h...

Son of former Red Sox great George Scott linked to New Bedford murder-suicide: DA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

The grown son of former Red Sox great George “Boomer” Scott is suspected of killing his child in a murder-suicide in New Bedford, the Bristol DA’s office announced tonight.The child has been identified as 8-year-old Dante Hazard, the DA’s office said, adding the boy’s mother, Lisa Hazard, has been missing since 2019.George Scott III is the child’s father, the DA added, and he was “a person of interest in the disappearance of Ms. Hazard, and that investigation remains active at this time.”Authorities said a relative called to have police check on the boy after not hearing from the family.“New Bedford Police received a request for a well being check for George Scott III and Dante Hazard (Friday morning) who were living at 1643 Phillips Road,” authorities said. “The well being check was requested by a relative who had not been able to get in touch with Mr. Scott.“Upon entering the residence, police this morning loc...

A look at deadly train crashes in India in recent decades

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The latest deadly train crash in India happened Friday, when two passenger trains derailed — killing more than 200 people, injuring more than 900 and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said.More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India daily, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents happen annually on India’s railways. Most are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.Here’s a look at other deadly India train crashes in recent decades:October 2018 — A train ran over a crowd watching fireworks during a religious festival in northern India, killing at least 60 people and injuring dozens more on the outskirts of Amritsar, a city in Punjab state.November 2016 — At least 146 people were killed when a passenger train traveling between the cities of Indore and Patna slid off the tracks. More than 200 peo...

Man repeatedly shocked with Taser by LAPD died from enlarged heart and cocaine use, coroner says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A teacher who was repeatedly shocked with a Taser by Los Angeles police died from an enlarged heart and cocaine use, according to an autopsy report released Friday.The Jan. 3 death of Keenan Darnell Anderson, 31, prompted an outcry over the Los Angeles Police Department’s use of force. It was one of three fatal LAPD confrontations, including two shootings, that took place only days into the new year.The specific manner of Anderson’s death was undetermined but the cause was listed as “effects of cardiomyopathy and cocaine use” and his death was “determined hours after restraint and conducted energy device use,” the coroner’s report said.The family’s attorney, Carl Douglas, did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press Friday evening seeking comment on the report.Anderson was a high school English teacher in Washington, D.C., and a cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors.He was visiting family members in Los Angeles when he...

Brazil’s prosecutors block zipline construction at Rio’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:54 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s federal prosecutors blocked a decision to authorize the installment of ziplines at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, claiming they will damage the environment around a UNESCO world heritage site.Prosecutors announced the decision late Thursday, arguing that Iphan, a federal agency under the Ministry of Culture, “illicitly” authorized the project after construction had already begun in September 2022.Now, both Iphan and the company responsible for the construction of the ziplines are defendants in a civil lawsuit and each must pay a fine of at least US$9.5 million (50 million reais). Prosecutors gave the company a 60-day deadline to present a schedule to work on repairing a damaged area and to remove every structure and the residuals from the construction site.Sugarloaf — known in Portuguese as Pao de Açucar — juts out of the earth at the entrance to Rio’s bay. The U.N. agency named it a World Heritage Site in 2012 along with Rio’s oth...