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ITF appoints Feliciano Lopez as tournament director for Davis Cup Finals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Feliciano Lopez has been appointed tournament director for the Davis Cup Finals, the International Tennis Federation said Thursday.The 41-year-old Lopez, who won the competition with Spain four times, plans to end his playing career after this year.The group stage will take place from Sept. 12-17 in four European cities followed by the last-eight event in Malaga, Spain, from Nov. 21-26.“I have some special memories of playing in this competition so I am very happy to be taking a leading role in delivering these events,” Lopez said in the ITF announcement. “As tournament director, my sole focus will be to build on the recent success of the competition and make it the best it can be for players and supporters across the world.”The Davis Cup was included as an official part of the ATP calendar under an agreement last year between the ITF and the men’s tour. Attendance in February’s qualifying events was up 10%.Spain and Serbia are together in Group C, setting ...

EU judges quash Remainer hopes of scrapping Brexit deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

It’s another cold shower for the anti-Brexiteers. On Thursday morning the EU’s top court dismissed the latest long-shot Remainer dream of turning back the clock on Brexit.The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) dismissed two different appeals by British activists seeking to scrap the Brexit deal following what they claimed was a loss of EU rights.British citizens cannot spend more than 90 days in every 180 days in Europe and can’t vote or run for office in local elections unless they also have an EU citizenship.A group of British citizens living in the U.K. and in the EU blamed this on the Council of the EU’s decision to green-light the Brexit deal.“The appellants claim that the decision at issue deprived them of the status of EU citizens and of the rights attaching to that status,” reads the text from the court in Luxembourg.But the EU’s top judges ruled that the loss of rights was caused by the Brexit referendum — not by European countries rubber stamping the Withd...

Boris Johnson facing UK parliament ban after damning Partygate inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson repeatedly misled lawmakers over his knowledge of the Partygate scandal, a cross-party group of MPs concluded.In a damning report on the former prime minister’s conduct, the House of Commons privileges committee recommended Johnson be effectively banned from the parliamentary estate.It said that, had Johnson not already quit as an MP, he would have faced a 90-day suspension from the House — the second-longest such punishment ever recommended for a member of parliament.In key developments Thursday:— Johnson dismissed the committee as a “kangaroo court” in a 1,600-word blast and took direct aim at the “political agenda” of committee chairman Harriet Harman. His remaining Conservative allies also dismissed its findings.— The ex-prime minister was taken to task for pre-emptively attacking the committee’s work, and accused of “seeking to undermine the parliamentary process.” — He was labelled “complicit” in a “campaig...

Suspicious death investigation underway in Manchester, NH

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

A suspicious death investigation is being conducted Thursday in Manchester, New Hampshire, officials said.Attorney General John M. Formella and Manchester Police Chief Allen D. Aldenberg announce Thursday morning that officials from the Attorney General’s Office are responding to the scene of a suspicious death at a home on Hanover Street.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Greece searches for hundreds feared missing after migrant boat sank, leaving 78 dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

KALAMATA, Greece (AP) — Rescue workers transferred the bodies of dead migrants to refrigerated trucks as a major search continued Thursday for possible survivors of a sea disaster in southern Greece. Hundreds of people are still feared missing.At least 78 bodies have been recovered after a fishing boat crammed with migrants seeking to make it from Libya to Italy capsized and sank a day earlier in deep waters off the Greek coast.Rescuers saved 104 passengers — including Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Afghans and Palestinians, mostly men and including eight minors — but authorities fear that hundreds of others may have been trapped below deck. If confirmed, that would make the tragedy one of the worst ever recorded in the central Mediterranean.Authorities revised the confirmed death toll from 79 following an overnight count of the bodies.“The survivors are in a very difficult situation. Right now they are in shock,” Erasmia Roumana, head of a United Nations Refugee Agency d...

Police respond to tractor-trailer crash on Route 495 in Chelmsford

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

Police are responding to a tractor-trailer crash on Route 495 northbound in Chelmsford.The crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. Thursday and crews could be seen working to remove the truck from a wooded area along the highway.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Red Sox score 5 runs in 7th inning, avoid sweep with 6-3 win over Rockies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo and Rob Refsnyder had two RBIs apiece and the Boston Red Sox rallied in a five-run seventh inning to avoid a sweep with a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.The start of the game was delayed more than two hours because of thunderstorms.Garrett Whitlock (4-2) pitched seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits with seven strikeouts. He improved to 3-0 in his past four starts.Red Sox starting pitchers have a 3.55 ERA in their 26 starts since May 17.“Early in the season we didn’t pitch. We were hitting. But, obviously, over 62 (games) if you pitch, you’re going to have a chance,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.Boston is off Thursday before opening a three-game series with the rival New York Yankees on Friday.“It really felt like we needed that win,” Refsnyder said. “With how close we’ve been last couple of games, extra innings and things like that. … Hopefully we can build on this, honestly. We feel close, but...

Battenfeld: It’s Donald Trump against the weight of the entire federal government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

It’s now Donald Trump vs. the entire federal government, the corrupt media, the Democratic machine and the Republican establishment.Trump – under siege from the weight of the charges against him – will limp into the 2024 campaign, but the best bet is that he collapses. Ron DeSantis is next in line, but even he will face a withering assault from Democrats.Trump right now has got a bigger problem than loud-mouthed Chris Christie.The Biden administration and Trump’s enemies are determined to break him down, saddling him with so much baggage it is impossible for him to continue.There is no noble goal here for justice, basically, Trump’s foes fear him and want to block him from being president again.And right now they are succeeding. They are raising doubts among Republicans and firing up Democrats. Even Mike Pence is no longer afraid to trash Trump.Financially, physically and emotionally Trump must be drained. It seems more than one person can take.The entire weight of the federal gover...

How many pitches is too many? In college baseball playoffs, it’s an annual debate.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

If it’s June, it’s time to scrutinize pitch counts in the college baseball playoffs.On June 2, junior Paul Skenes threw 124 pitches in LSU’s 7-2 victory over Tulane in an NCAA Division I Regional. Three days later, sophomore Matt Savedoff tossed a career-high 147 pitches in Johns Hopkins’ 8-2 win against Baldwin Wallace in the Division III College World Series semifinals.And last Thursday, graduate student Gabriel Romano threw a career-high 164 pitches — nearly twice as many as MLB pitchers average (86) in a given start, according to Baseball-Reference — in the Blue Jays’ 11-6 victory over Lynchburg in the finals.The high pitch counts caused a stir on social media with several commentators criticizing the teams for the usage of their pitchers. Skenes’ performance raised eyebrows in Major League Baseball circles, according to The Washington Post.These cases are not equal. Romano was likely pitching the last game of his career. Skenes, m...

Jackson Holliday’s family takes in firsthand view of Orioles prospect’s growth with Aberdeen IronBirds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:46 GMT

There are babysitting rooms at ballparks where major leaguers can drop off their kids in capable hands while they play baseball. Jackson Holliday wanted no part of them. He and his younger brother, Ethan, preferred to be in the stands where they could lock in on every pitch.They mimicked stances, tracked each play and could name everyone on the field. Baseball has always been the guiding light of Jackson’s life.“He’d want to come to the field with me. He’d want to hit balls and want people to play catch with him,” said Matt Holliday, Jackson’s father, a 7-time All-Star and 2011 World Series champion. “He always had incredible mechanics in his swing even as a toddler. He kind of naturally could just hit the ball. I always thought when he got stronger that he would really take off from a pro prospect standpoint.”Now here he was, playing at Ripken Stadium a year removed from being drafted No. 1 overall by the Orioles and nearly two months...