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‘Van Quickenborne bill’ threatens Belgian democracy, activists say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

BRUSSELS — Belgian trade unions and human rights organizations on Thursday demonstrated against draft legislation that would criminalize some protesters.According to the police, some 7,000 people — with organizers estimating 10,000 — gathered in front of the justice ministry in Brussels to express discontent. Dressed in red, green, and blue — the colors of the country’s largest trade unions — participants unfurled flags and banners with slogans like “Activist, not terrorist” and “Criminal? No, trade unionist,” deeming the law unacceptable.“I work at Delhaize and I am protesting to keep my right to protest,” said one participant, who was granted anonymity due to fear of reprisals. Delhaize is a Belgian supermarket chain that has been facing frequent and at times heated staff strikes after management announced all its stores will be franchised. A provision of the so-called Van Quickenborne law, named after Belgian Justice Minister Vincent...

Massachusetts State Police apprehend suspects wanted for multiple armed carjackings in New Hampshire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

State police say a man sought in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire for a series of armed carjackings was arrested following a pursuit Thursday morning.Massachusetts State Police announced around 10 a.m. that Nathan Saben, 35, was taken into custody following a pursuit that started in Lawrence and ended in Dracut. According to state police, Saben and a woman believed to be his girlfriend, Jessica Tirone, 40, were arrested after being found driving a black, 2012 Subaru Outback that Saben allegedly carjacked in Wolfeboro, NH.https://twitter.com/scooperon7/status/1709937669550301214“[A] trooper spotted SABEN driving the Subaru on South Union St., Lawrence at 9:11AM,” the Mass State Police Twitter account stated. “SABEN fled onto Essex St., then to Rt 110 WB, Dracut. MSP and [Lawrence Police Department] units pursued; SABEN came to stop on 110 at Little Merrimack Ave. SABEN had a rifle on him.”The arrest in Dracut capped off a week of police searching for S...

Woman killed, two people hurt in Nashua, NH fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

Authorities say a woman was killed and two other people were able to escape after an overnight fire broke out in Nashua, New Hampshire.The Nashua Fire Department said its crews were called to Langholm Drive around 1:30 a.m. where flames ripped through a single-family home.Neighbors told 7NEWS a husband and wife in their 70s and their daughter lived in the home, and that the husband and daughter were able to get out when the fire started.Nashua’s Fire Chief said crews were able to locate and rescue the wife who was still inside, and that she was later pronounced dead at a hospital.The rest of the family was also hospitalized, with details on their condition not yet released.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Man with handgun seeking governor arrested in Wisconsin Capitol, returns with assault rifle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

By SCOTT BAUER (Associated Press)MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man illegally brought a handgun into the Wisconsin Capitol, demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers, and returned at night with an assault rifle after posting bail, a spokesperson for the state said Thursday.The man, who was shirtless and had a holstered handgun, approached the governor’s office on the first floor of the Capitol around 2 p.m. Wednesday, state Department of Administration spokesperson Tatyana Warrick said. The man was demanding to see the governor, who was not in the building at the time, Warrick said.A Capitol police officer sits at a desk outside of a suite of rooms that includes the governor’s office, conference room and offices for the attorney general. The man was taken into custody for openly carrying a firearm in the Capitol, which is against the law, Warrick said. Weapons can be brought into the Capitol if they are concealed and the person has a valid permit. The man arrested did not have a c...

Police name suspects in Holyoke shooting that left baby dead and mother injured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

Police have named two Holyoke men charged with murder for the shooting that took place there yesterday that left a pregnant woman injured and her baby dead.Alejandro Ramos, 22, of Holyoke, was arraigned Thursday on a charge of murder, with others expected to follow according to the Hampden District Attorney’s office,  in the shooting Holyoke Police responded to at around 12:40 p.m. Wednesday in the 100-block of Sargeant Street.Johnluis Sanchez, 30, of Holyoke, is another suspect who remains in the hospital but will face murder and other charges when he is let out, according to the DA’s office.Investigators have said that the shooting appears to have happened during an altercation between three people and that one of the rounds went through the side of a public bus and struck a pregnant woman inside.The woman was transported to a hospital, where her baby was delivered in need of immediate care but soon passed away.“All involved suspects are believed to have been identified, one was t...

Patrick Williams might not start for the Chicago Bulls — and the 4th-year forward is OK with that: ‘I want to play my game’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

Patrick Williams didn’t want to set personal goals for his fourth season with the Chicago Bulls.The power forward strayed from bold declarations in his first availability during training camp at Belmont University.What does he want to accomplish? “Win.”How does he gauge personal success? “Winning.”Is it important to Williams to be a starter? “I don’t think so.”DeMar DeRozan was much less shy about his expectations for Williams. In fact, the veteran is prepared to cough up $2,000 to achieve it.“I’m hoping he get a tech this year,” DeRozan said. “If he get a tech this year — one, I’ll pay it. And two, you’ll see how far he done came.”Getting a technical foul would require Williams to step outside his comfort zone, which the Bulls have been urging.Williams’ lack of aggressiveness has been a frustration and a hindrance since his rookie season. And it could cost him a sp...

Rep. George Santos’ former campaign treasurer will plead guilty to a federal felony, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — The ex-campaign treasurer for U.S. Rep. George Santos will plead guilty on Thursday to an unspecified felony in connection with the sprawling federal investigation of financial irregularities surrounding the indicted New York Republican, prosecutors said.Nancy Marks, a veteran Long Island political operative, served as the campaign treasurer and close aide to Santos during his two congressional bids. Marks resigned amid growing questions about Santos’ campaign finances and revelations Santos had fabricated much of his life story.Marks’ plea is scheduled to take place in a Central Islip courtroom on Thursday afternoon. It comes as Santos faces a 13-count federal indictment centered on charges of money laundering and lying to Congress in an earlier financial disclosure.Marks and Santos haven’t returned messages seeking comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn declined to say...

Russian strike on village kills 51, Ukrainian officials say, as Zelenskyy seeks more Western support

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian rocket struck a village cafe and store in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv.Zelenskyy, attending a summit of about 50 European leaders in Spain to drum up support from Ukraine’s allies, denounced the strike in the village of Hroza as a “demonstrably brutal Russian crime” and “a completely deliberate act of terrorism.”About 60 people were in the cafe, attending a wake after a funeral, said Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko, who provided the death toll.Among the dead was a 6-year-old boy, and seven other people were wounded, said presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak and Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. According to preliminary information from Kyiv, the village was hit by an Iskander missile. Emergency crews searched the s...

FedEx plane without landing gear skids off runway, but lands safely at Tennessee airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A FedEx plane skidded off the runway during a crash landing at a Tennessee airport when its landing gear did not descend, but no one was injured, officials said.Public safety agencies rushed to the Chattanooga Regional Airport late Wednesday after reports that the FedEx Boeing 757 had experienced a landing gear failure shortly after takeoff, the Chattanooga Fire Department said in a tweet. The aircraft, which had three crew members aboard, circled and then made its final descent and came to rest beyond the runway in a safety area, fire officials said.Video posted by Hamilton County EMS shows sparks flying when the plane touches down, but officials said there was no fire, only smoke from the engines. “Great work by the pilot and airport personnel, as well as all responding agencies for their coordinated efforts,” the fire department tweeted.A FedEx spokesperson told news outlets that the flight from Chattanooga to Memphis experienced an issue right after tak...

Maryland Supreme Court weighs victims’ rights in Adnan Syed case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:32 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland Supreme Court on Thursday scrutinized a hearing that overturned Adnan Syed’s murder conviction after he spent 23 years behind bars, as the victim’s family says they weren’t given adequate opportunity to take part in the proceedings.Chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial,” the case has been fraught with legal twists and divided court rulings for decades. The oral arguments that took place Thursday before Maryland’s highest court were no exception.Among the issues discussed were whether Syed’s 2000 murder conviction should remain reinstated and the extent to which Maryland crime victims have a right to participate in such hearings where a conviction will be overturned. Ultimately, Syed’s freedom hangs in the balance. The panel of seven justices will release their ruling in the coming weeks or months. Syed, 42, was released from prison in September 2022, when a Baltimore judge overturned his conviction. City prosecutors had dropped all charges af...