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Belgium suffers blowback over Qatargate, minister says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

For the past six months, Brussels has been at the center of the biggest European Union corruption scandal for almost a quarter of a century. But the criminal investigation into the so-called Qatargate claims, which have severely damaged the EU’s reputation for integrity, has not been cost-free for the small European nation in charge of the inquiry. Belgium’s Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told POLITICO that the investigation, which has uncovered allegations that foreign governments bribed EU lawmakers, has had consequences for the country’s diplomatic relations with the states allegedly involved. As interior minister, Verlinden is in charge of the Belgian police, whose unit for combatting corruption played a role in building the case that Qatar and Morocco allegedly bought influence in the European Parliament. The police also helped carry out the series of raids in December that delivered sensational finds, including a suitcase filled with cash. “We have no...

China’s new anti-spy law is just the beginning

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

Peter Humphrey is a former Reuters correspondent and spent 15 years as a fraud investigator in China for Western firms. He is currently an external research affiliate of Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and a mentor to families of foreigners wrongfully detained in China.It didn’t matter that I was “dean of the due diligence community” in China, I was still in jail for two years on false charges of illegal information gathering.But today? Today, I might get 20 or life. Or, I might be dead.In 2013, shortly after Xi Jinping had taken power in China, I was locked in an iron interrogation cage in a detention center every day, and was questioned by the Chinese police, the PSB. Then, one day, interrogators from the Ministry of State Security, China’s KGB, took over, and they tried to prove I was a spy.They had gone through my laptop with a fine-tooth comb. “You were gathering intelligence in Xinjiang. Look at this report,” the interrogator growled. “I didn’t write i...

Spain’s Podemos on the defensive as election reckoning looms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

MADRID — A decade after it burst onto the scene, disrupting Spain’s two-party politics and reinvigorating the country’s left, Podemos is facing a reckoning.With local elections being held for 12 of the country’s 17 regional parliaments and in municipalities nationwide on May 28, Podemos lacks strong leadership, with its credibility undermined by a bungled legislative initiative and at loggerheads with its leftist rivals. As a result, the party goes into these elections weaker than at any time since its foundation.“These are elections that will decide whether or not Podemos will continue to represent a significant political space,” said Oriol Bartomeus, researcher at the Institute for Political Studies (ICPS-UAB) in Barcelona. “Podemos has gone into something akin to survival mode.”Founded in 2014, Podemos channeled the anger of the Indignados protest movement that had emerged three years earlier. Like its Greek counterpart, Syriza, Podemos capitalized on the disconte...

4 people taken to hospitals after crash in Lowell

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

Four people, including two children were rushed to hospitals after a crash in Lowell on Tuesday, police said. The two-car crash happened Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of West Sixth and Coburn Streets.Over the scene, SKY7-HD later captured video of one car with its passenger-side doors crushed. The same car’s windshield was also shattered. Elsewhere, debris were scattered around the intersection.Police said both drivers as well as two children in one of the cars were taken to local hospitals. One driver was later flown by air-ambulance to a Boston-area hospital.The crash remained under investigation as of Tuesday night.

Gloucester turns to new app to help with summer beach parking

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

As summer approaches, Gloucester officials are hoping to make it easier for people to hit the beaches with the help of a new app aimed at helping beachgoers find a place to park. The app, called Blinkay, can be downloaded from the Gloucester city website. It is open to out-of-towners, who just need to fill out some information about themselves and their vehicle before applying for a parking permit for Good Harbor Beach, Wingaersheek Beach or Stage Fort Park.Among services, the app will also track cars as they leave to alert drivers when a parking space opens up. The hope, officials said, is to avoid mishaps from last year when spots and spaces were oversold. “We had one day that oversold by a few hundred,” said Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga. “We were able to set up an offsite parking area with shuttle service to the beach. So it was a headache for a day or so. But it worked out.”Beyond its spot near the beginning of the summer season, this upcoming holiday weekend also ...

Mets’ 5-game winning streak ends after unlucky 4th inning for Tylor Megill leads to 7-2 loss

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

CHICAGO — It felt like the Mets could do no wrong for five games.Then suddenly, it all went wrong in Chicago and the Mets’ winning streak came to an end. The comeback kids from last week couldn’t overcome an early 4-1 hole and lost 7-2 in the first game of a three-game series on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.Tylor Megill had two easy innings and 1 and 2/3 rough ones in the loss (5-3). He allowed four runs in the second but it was a flukey fourth that may have cost the Mets (25-24) and Megill the most.Both of the runs allowed by Megill in the fourth were unearned, but after a bobbled ball in left field by Tommy Pham, an overturned call on second base and a couple of two-out singles, the Mets were down 6-1 and Megill was pulled for Dominic Leone after 78 pitches.Down 4-1 coming into the inning, Mike Tauchman lined one to Pham in left field, but the ball fell out of Pham’s glove and he failed to make a circus-like play to get the runner out. Tauchman slid safely into...

Orioles twice blow leads in 6-5 series-opening loss to Yankees in 10 innings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

The Orioles were two outs from handing one of the best pitchers in baseball his first loss. One of the best hitters in baseball made sure it didn’t happen.Baltimore built a four-run lead off New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and was two outs from another series-opening victory before reigning American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge homered off Orioles closer Félix Bautista with one out in the ninth to tie the game. An inning later, Anthony Volpe’s sacrifice fly off Bryan Baker gave New York a 6-5 victory.Judge’s home run meant Orioles starter Kyle Bradish’s pursuit of a win against an AL East opponent continued. Although Baltimore’s four-run advantage evaporated with Bradish on the mound, he exited in position for his first win in 16 divisional starts. Instead, he remains 0-8 with a 7.86 ERA despite being 6-0 with a 2.14 ERA in his 15 other starts. A run in the top of the sixth, scored on Terrin Vavra’s bases-loaded groundout, meant B...

Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe propel Yanks in win over O’s despite Gerrit Cole’s rough night

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

Just before the Yankees began a three-game series with the second-place Orioles, Aaron Boone emphasized that he believes the American League East rival is for real.“They’re a really good team,” Boone said when asked about Baltimore, a consistent basement dweller not too long ago. The Yankees’ manager went on to describe a “frontline offense” while also praising the Orioles’ defense, running and pitching. “They’re legit,” Boone continued. “They’re a force to be reckoned with.“They’re a problem.”That they certainly were on Tuesday, especially for Gerrit Cole. All of the O’s runs were charged to the ace in the series opener, yet the Yankees still managed a 6-5 win after 10 innings.The comeback wouldn’t have been possible without the red-hot Aaron Judge, who provided ninth-inning heroics when he crushed a game-tying homer off Orioles closer Felix Bautista. Then came Anthony Volpe, whose...

Boston City Council split on new redistricting map ahead of vote

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

The City Council may have finally built a new redistricting map, but what’s not clear is how many councilors will actually vote to approve it on Wednesday.Five councilors voiced their dissent Tuesday with a handful of precinct changes the map tentatively agreed upon a day earlier would make in District 5, saying that they would undo decades of advocacy to make D5 an “opportunity district,” which allows communities of color to elect a candidate of their choice.The most vocal opposition came from City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara, who stated that the new proposal could land the City Council, which saw the map it approved last fall thrown out for constitutional violations, back in court.“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits any redistricting plans that result in the dilution of minority voting strength,” said Arroyo, who represents District 5.Arroyo and Lara spoke at length about their dissatisfaction with the removal of Mattapan precincts, 14-5 and 14-14 from District ...

Sheriff's investigate inappropriate use of social media allegations against substitute teacher

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:31:39 GMT

ALPINE, Calif. -- Authorities were investigating allegations of inappropriate use of social media by a substitute teacher in East County, according to law enforcement.The San Diego County Sheriff's Department was informed about the allegations against a substitute teacher at Joan MacQueen Middle School within the Alpine Unified School District, Lt. Anthony O'Boyle stated in a release Tuesday. Former ‘Teacher of the Year’ accused of having sex with a student "The Alpine School District and the Sheriff's Department are taking these allegations very seriously and are actively investigating this incident," O'Boyle said. "Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, no other information is available at this time."Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Sheriff's Child Abuse Unit at (858) 285-6293 or after hours at (858) 565-5200. You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.