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Orkxit? Orkney islanders mull replacing London with Oslo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

Some on the tiny Orkney Islands want to look at alternatives to British rule.The archipelago, located off the coast of Scotland, has been part of Britain since 1472 but amid an ongoing dispute over funding for ferry connections, the Orkney Islands Council (OIC) leader, James Stockan, wants a rethink — including potentially reconnecting with the territory’s Nordic roots.“We are really struggling at the moment, we have to replace the whole ferry fleet,” Stockan told BBC radio on Monday of the reasons for a reform proposal. “We are denied the things that other areas get.”Stockan has put forward a motion to be discussed Tuesday which includes modeling the 23,000-strong territory on the Isle of Man, a self-governing crown dependency, or on Channel Islands Guernsey and Jersey, which have never formally been a part of the United Kingdom.But the Faroe Islands, a dependency of Denmark, and Norway are also options.“We were part of the Norse kingdom for much...

Suspect arrested after allegedly pepper-spraying officer, state trooper near Mass. and Cass

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

A suspect is in custody after allegedly pepper-spraying both a police officer and a Massachusetts State Police trooper in Boston on Monday morning, according to authorities.Officials with the Boston Police Department said it was around 8 a.m. when the incident was called in near Southampton and Atkinson streets, by the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.Details on what led up to the incident have not yet been released, but authorities say both the officer and trooper were transported to a hospital and treated for minor injuries.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Lawsuit challenges legacy admissions at Harvard, alleging racial discrimination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A civil rights legal group is challenging legacy admissions at Harvard University, saying the practice discriminates against students of color by giving an unfair boost to the mostly white children of alumni.It’s the latest effort in a growing push against legacy admissions, the practice of giving admissions priority to the children of alumni. Backlash against the practice has been building in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court’s decision ending affirmative action in college admissions.Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, is filing the suit on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England, alleging that Harvard’s admissions system violates the Civil Rights Act.“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the group’s executive director. “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should...

Timing out storm potential through the 4th of July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

7Weather- Red, white and *storms! Seems like a theme for the holiday weekend, as we have more storms in the forecast today and tomorrow. Heavy rain and thunderstorms moved through overnight. That has pushed well offshore. There are just some spotty showers for areas north of the Mass Pike. Other than that, a lot of us have thick fog this morning. We’ll get some midday/early afternoon sun. Then scattered storms will work west to east across the region today. Take a look at the timing below. We get a break in the rain through the early afternoon. There could be a few spot showers south of the Pike. Late afternoon/early evening scattered storms will work across central Mass and continue to move east past sunset. Any of these storms could produce downpours, lightning and gusty wind. High temperatures today will reach the upper 70s/low 80s inland, and temperatures stay in the 70s on the coast.Overnight, temperatures stay in the upper 60s/low 70s again with a few showers around and ...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts at start of shortened trading day after its big rally

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting at the start of a shortened trading day Monday as momentum slows on Wall Street following a powerful rally.The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in early trading, though it’s still close to its highest level since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 89 points, or 0.3% at 34,317, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher.Tesla was one of the stronger stocks in the market, rising 6.9%. The company said over the weekend that the number of vehicles it delivered during the spring surged by 83% from a year earlier. That was more than analysts expected, though cuts to prices may have driven some of the gains. Investors will see how much the discounts hit profits when Tesla reports its earnings on July 19.Tesla’s strong numbers helped drive stocks up of other electric-vehicle companies. Rivian jumped 13.4%, and Nikola gained 6.7%.Much of the rest of the market was quieter following a rally where the S&P 500 cl...

Activists spurred by affirmative action ruling sue Harvard over legacy admissions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A civil rights group is challenging legacy admissions at Harvard University, saying the practice discriminates against students of color by giving an unfair boost to the mostly white children of alumni.It’s the latest effort in a growing push against legacy admissions, the practice of giving admissions priority to the children of alumni. Backlash against the practice has been building in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court’s decision ending affirmative action in college admissions.Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, filed the suit Monday on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England, alleging that Harvard’s admissions system violates the Civil Rights Act.“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations?” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the group’s executive director. “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the...

Toronto Raptors officially sign first round draft pick Gradey Dick

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

Gradey Dick is officially a member of the Toronto Raptors.The swingman signed a rookie scale contract 11 days after the Raptors selected him 13th overall in the NBA draft.Dick is under contract through the 2024-25 season, with two team option years to follow.Per team policy, financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.Dick averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals as a freshman at Kansas last season.He shot .442 from the field, including .403 from three-point range, and set the Jayhawks freshman record for three-point field goals made with 83.Dick was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

An Olympic champion boos protesters who knelt on the track near the finish line of his race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Olympic champion Karsten Warholm won his 400-meter hurdles race on Sunday and then turned to join in the crowd booing environmental protesters who disrupted the Diamond League event near the finish.Three people kneeled on the track about eight meters (yards) from the line holding two banners that spanned from lanes one to six, forcing runners to break through them. No athlete appeared to be hurt.Warholm running in lane eight had no barrier in his way though seemed distracted, with a fourth apparent protester squatting in lane seven seeming to photograph the incident.He was visibly angry with the protesters as they were led away while spectators booed.The Norwegian star later told national broadcaster NRK the protest was disrespectful to athletes doing their job.Warholm’s winning time on a cool, rainy evening was 47.57 seconds, well outside his 45.94 world record set at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.An unusual evening’s work for Warholm included warming up...

Leon Gautier, last member of French D-Day military commando, dies at 100

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Leon Gautier, the last surviving member of an elite French unit that joined U.S. and other Allied forces in the 1944 D-Day invasion to wrest Normandy from Nazi control, has died. He was 100.The death was announced Monday by Romain Bail, the mayor of Ouistreham, an English Channel coastal community where Allies landed on June 6, 1944, and where Gautier lived out his last years. Details were not released. A special tribute ceremony is expected.Gautier was a nationally known figure and met with President Emmanuel Macron as part of commemorations for the 79th anniversary of D-Day last month.He and his comrades in the Kieffer Commando unit were among the first waves of Allied troops to storm the heavily defended beaches of Nazi-occupied northern France, beginning the liberation of western Europe.The commandos spent 78 days straight on the front lines, in ever-dwindling numbers.Of the 177 who waded ashore on the morning of June 6, 1944, just two dozen escaped death or injury,...

The Democratic Party promised to overhaul its primaries. Doing that has been anything but simple

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — New Hampshire is in open rebellion. Georgia is all but out. South Carolina and Nevada are on board but face stiff Republican pushback. Michigan’s compliance may mean having to cut the state legislative session short, despite Democrats controlling both chambers and the governor’s mansion. Then there’s Iowa, which is looking for ways to still go first without violating party rules. Months after the Democratic Party approved President Joe Biden’s plan to overhaul its primary order to better reflect a deeply diverse voter base, implementing the revamped order has proven anything but simple. Party officials now expect the process to continue through the end of the year — even as the 2024 presidential race heats up all around it.“Despite the fact that it looked like relatively smooth sailing for the president when he proposed it … the kind of backlash you’re hearing, the reactions, are exactly what we would have expected,” said David R...