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Meloni’s dangerous constitutional change in Italy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

Michael Meyer-Resende and Nino Tsereteli work for Democracy Reporting International, a Berlin-based NGO.The optics are terrible: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made proposals for constitutional reform that are eerily reminiscent of another constitutional change made a century ago by Benito Mussolini.Adopted in November 1923, Mussolini’s notorious Acerbo Law established that the party winning the largest share of the vote — even if only 25 percent — would get two-thirds of the seats in parliament. And after his party won the subsequent election — although intimidation and violence proved more important there than tampering with electoral law — the road to dictatorship was paved.Meloni’s current proposal now echoes this Acerbo Law, as the Italian leader wants to automatically give the party with the highest percentage of votes a 55 percent share of the seats in parliament. In other words, as long as one party receives more votes than any other — even if that were, say...

Labour staff work for lobbying firm touting Westminster access

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

LONDON — Labour staffers working on the U.K. parliamentary estate have second jobs with a lobbying firm that offers “an on-the-spot interface between the client and MPs.”Solidarity Consulting Ltd acts on behalf of unions, charities and campaign groups.It states on its website that it is a “political and parliamentary consultancy service with a not-for-profit ethos.” The firm is a limited company with £211,000 in net assets, according to its most recent financial statements.It openly advertises its presence in parliament as a selling point for its services — and four of its staff work in MP offices, entitling them to parliamentary passes.“We provide an on-the-spot interface between the client and MPs and we are present in Parliament on a daily basis, organising briefings, lobbies and interventions,” the organization says. “We ensure that each client has a vocal presence in Parliament and that their campaigns are effectively progressed.”Parliamentar...

Man hit and killed by transit bus in Haverhill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

A pedestrian died Wednesday after being hit by a transit bus in Haverhill, officials said. A state Department of Transportation spokesperson in a statement said the crash happened around 8:40 a.m. on the grounds of Northern Essex Community College near a Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) bus stop. The victim, described as a male pedestrian, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation got underway and was ongoing Wednesday night, officials said.“In our business, this is the biggest nightmare, the thing that everyone fears,” said MVRTA Administrator and CEO Noah Berger. Berger said the bus involved in this crash had just made its stop at Northern Essex Community College and was pulling away at the time of the incident.The man who died, Berger said, was known to the driver and was a familiar face on the route. “This is what makes it that much more devastating,” he said. “In public transportation, you build...

Family members describe woman’s efforts to save friend during deadly house fire in Orange

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

One week after a deadly fire at a home in Orange, family members are now describing the efforts of one woman who tried to save her friend. 65-year-old Deb Marini had MS and wasn’t able to move. Vicki Kennedy, relatives said, was injured trying to help. “She feels she lost everything,” said Vicki’s daughter, Sarah Kennedy. Vicki is a beloved local breeder of Boston Terriers. She is also a mother, a friend and a hero after Sarah and her partner Penny Allen said she ran back into her burning home three times trying to save Deb. “She almost died, herself, trying to save her,” Sarah said. “It got so bad, Deb was her priority,” Sarah continued.Vicki couldn’t leave Deb behind. When she at one point got Deb off the bed, Sarah said Deb told her she was on fire. “My mom was on fire while she was trying to get Deb off the bed,” Sarah said. “The last time she went out, the firemen were there and they grabbed her.”Both Deb and Vicki were rushed to the hospital. Deb ...

Holiday Helping: Amaka Ubaka’s Chicken Ramen-Noodle Soup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

7News Holiday Helping is back! In this edition, Amaka Ubaka is making her chicken ramen-noodle soup.Order new 2023 recipes from the 7News team to get all of their favorite holiday recipes! Your donation will help Project Bread feed hungry families right here in Massachusetts.Check out other Holiday Helping recipes from the 7News team.

NHL Power Rankings: Bruins sitting pretty at No. 4 despite recent woes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

The good news for the Bruins is there are no great teams in the 2023-24 National Hockey League.The bad news is they’re swimming in a vast sea of good teams, especially in the Eastern Conference. Could a team which makes the right moves by the trade deadline separate from the pack? You never know. We thought that’s what the B’s did last year.Anyway, here are this month’s installment of the Herald’s Power Rankings:1. New York Rangers – The Blueshirts, who own the best points percentage in the league (.750), have demonstrated they can win in a variety of styles.2. Vegas Golden Knights – The champs may not be running away with anything, but they’re still formidable.3. Vancouver Canucks – Rick Tocchet is the leading Jack Adams Award candidate and Thatcher Demko is vying for the Vezina. Weird how those two awards go hand-in-hand.4. Boston Bruins – The team’s compete level may be the highest its been all season, but they’re 1-0-3 in their las...

Wednesday’s high school roundup/scores: Jacob McLoughlin leads Sharon over Milford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

BOYS BASKETBALLIn the Hockomock League, Jacob McLoughlin dropped 27 points with six rebounds and five assists as Sharon (5-0) won 68-56 over Milford.Aidan Flaherty scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Jared Cleary and Ethan Pohl registered nine points each as East Bridgewater (3-0) roared back from a halftime deficit to defeat Carver 63-53 in South Shore League action.GIRLS BASKETBALLIn nonleague play, freshman Rowan Murphy put in 21 points as Greater Lowell (1-2) cruised to a 53-15 victory over Notre Dame of Tyngsboro. … Reese Matela recorded 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Charleigh Green chipped in with eight points as St. Mary’s of Lynn (5-0) came back to defeat Springfield International 49-39.Sophomores Melanie Simmons (12 points) and Nora Simpson (10 points, four steals) guided Arlington Catholic (1-1) as a 20-point third quarter enabled the Cougars to pull away in a 50-30 win over Lowell Catholic. … Cecilia Kay collected 18 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, and Cel...

Harvard’s President Claudine Gay faces more heat over her writing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

Get Harvard President Claudine Gay rewrite … again.The embattled campus boss will need to make three corrections to her Ph.D. dissertation amid plagiarism allegations, according to multiple reports.The college newspaper, the Crimson, states the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — is behind the corrections. Harvard did not respond to a Herald request for the same statement.The Crimson added that the Corporation revealed, in part: “The members … concluded that Gay’s inadequate citations, while regrettable, did not constitute research misconduct.”The Corporation has stood by GayThe Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, reports Gay is facing more plagiarism woes — where up to 40 accusations of lifting others’ work are being made. “The document paints a picture of a pattern of misconduct more extensive than has been previously reported,” the website posted.As the Herald has reported that Harvard’s Corporation...

Justin Fields, Jaylon Johnson address their uncertain futures with the Chicago Bears — what we learned at Halas Hall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

After Sunday’s devastating 20-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears returned to practice Wednesday. Coach Matt Eberflus has pushed his players to reset and refocus with the Arizona Cardinals coming to town for Christmas Eve. The Bears are home favorites for Sunday’s game but will have to be sharp to get back on the winning track.As the team readies for its Week 16 test, here are five things we learned Wednesday at Halas Hall.1. Quarterback Justin Fields is aware of the amplified talk about his uncertain future.The chatter has been escalating recently — both in Chicago and across the league — as curiosity heightens for how the Bears will handle their quarterback decisions during a pivotal 2024 offseason. Fields still has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract but remains the subject of significant trade speculation with the Bears potentially in line to own the No. 1 pick for April’s draft.Will the team opt to reboot at quarterback by s...

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum misses game vs. Kings with ankle injury, return unknown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:50 GMT

Celtics star Jayson Tatum missed Wednesday night’s game against the Kings due to a left ankle sprain he suffered in Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors.Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum is day-to-day with the injury and described Tatum’s ankle as “sore” and “swollen,” but did not offer a timetable on when he might return. The C’s next play on Saturday against the Clippers.“He loves to play. I’m sure he would do anything to play,” Mazzulla told reporters pregame in Sacramento. “But it was obviously sore, obviously it was swollen. You could tell it limited him during the game. He did a good job of fighting through it, but it’s a day-to-day thing and we’ll see how it goes.”Tatum suffered the injury in the first quarter of Tuesday’s loss when he stepped on the foot of Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski. He immediately hobbled off the court and straight to the locker room, and returned for the start of the second quarter. But he was clearly not himself for the rest of the game as he finish...