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Cuban catcher defects after World Baseball Classic, per report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

(CNN) — After being eliminated from the World Baseball Classic by the US team in Miami on Sunday, the Cuban team landed in Havana on Monday without one of its players.Ivan Prieto Gonzalez, a 26-year-old catcher, has defected from his home nation, Major League Baseball officials confirmed to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.CNN has reached out to MLB for comment.CNN’s Patrick Oppmann in Havana reports that Cuba’s president met the team and congratulated the players upon arrival, but has not said anything about the defection.Cuba lost to the US 14-2 in the semifinals Sunday. Team USA, a win away from becoming back-to-back World Baseball Classic champions, will face Japan in the final Tuesday in Miami.Japan has won the World Baseball Classic twice, with back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009.

New species of orchid discovered in Japan, petals look glass-spun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

(CNN) — Sometimes newfound flower species are lurking where scientists least expect to see them — in parks, gardens and even in planters on balconies.That’s where researchers in Japan recently identified a new species of orchid, its pink-and-white blooms so delicate and fragile they look like they were spun from glass.The newly described flower is a neighbor to populations of a related orchid species common in Japan that it closely resembles. Its discovery is an important reminder that unknown species are often living right under our noses, scientists reported Friday in the Journal of Plant Research.“The incredible diversity of the orchid family, Orchidaceae, is truly astonishing, and new discoveries like this Spiranthes reinforce the urgency to study and protect these botanical gems,” Justin Kondrat, lead horticulturist for the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection, told CNN in an email. Kondrat was not involved in the research.Orchids in this genus — Spiran...

Cool Start, Mild Finish

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

Brisk breeze out of the Northwest and clearing skies have helped temperatures drop into the upper 50’s to low 60’s to start. Drier air is filtering in and by the afternoon, North-Northeast winds take over with milder temperatures in the upper 70’s. Steady warming expected as the week progress with high pressure sliding into the Western Atlantic Ocean and winds turning off the ocean. By mid-week, temperatures moderate to more Spring-like values with lows in the upper 60’s and highs around 80 degrees. Conditions forecast to remain quiet with bright sunshine and dry air around the remainder of the week. Heading into the weekend, winds shift out of the South-Southwest to draw up the heat and humidity ahead of another front. Therefore, a chance of spotty showers returns Sunday. Have a wonderful day South Florida and make it a safe one! Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Channel 7

Tory Euroskeptics pan Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal, don’t say if they’ll vote against

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

LONDON — Euroskeptic Conservatives will hold an 11th-hour meeting on Wednesday after failing to decide whether to back Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal.After three weeks of deliberations, a ‘Star Chamber’ of lawyers convened by the European Research Group today gave a withering verdict on the Windsor Framework, arguing it will keep EU law supreme in Northern Ireland.ERG chairman Mark Francois said a green lane for goods to avoid checks was “not really a green lane at all,” and that the Stormont Brake — meant to allow the Northern Ireland devolved assembly the power to challenge EU laws applying to Northern Ireland — is “practically useless.”“The framework itself has no exit, other than through a highly complex legal process,” he added. Asked if the ERG had been “misled” about its contents, Francois said: “I am going to leave that to others to judge.”But despite issuing a 52-page assessment, the ERG did not co...

Boris Johnson says no evidence he ‘intentionally or recklessly’ misled MPs over Partygate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson accepted that he misled the House of Commons over the Partygate scandal — but denied doing so “intentionally or recklessly,” as he hit out at his aide-turned-nemesis Dominic Cummings.Johnson will face the cross-party privileges committee of MPs Wednesday over the accusation he lied to parliament about the Partygate row, which saw a host of rule-breaching parties held in government offices in 2020 and 2021 despite strict lockdown restrictions. Johnson was among those later fined by police for breaches.In a 52-page dossier setting out his defense ahead of a marathon committee grilling Wednesday, the former prime minister said the only evidence supporting claims he intentionally misled parliament came from his former top adviser, Cummings, who he said could not be “treated as a credible witness” given the “animus” he bears towards Johnson.The inquiry is centered around statements Johnson made in the House of Commons in December...

Stop overthinking it: An indictment would be bad for Trump

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

Alexander Burns is an associate editor for global politics at POLITICO. His Tomorrow column explores the future of politics and policy debates that cross national lines.The widely expected indictment of Donald Trump in Manhattan has all the makings of a political disaster for him. It should be the climactic event in a yearslong saga involving marital infidelity, sleazy financial dealings and now the first-ever criminal charge against a former American president.Naturally, the question arises: Could this actually be good for Trump?That thought generates itself by reflex in America’s political brain. It is a habit forged in 2016, when Trump defied countless terminal prognoses to defeat Hillary Clinton.It is not irrational speculation. Americans have a history of sticking with flamboyant politicians with more than a passing relationship with the criminal justice system, from Marion Barry in Washington, D.C., to Edwin Edwards in Louisiana. Trump is a character from a similar mold, with ...

Crane collapses at construction site in Chelsea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

A crane collapsed at a construction site in Chelsea Tuesday morning.Firefighters responded to the scene at 40 6th Street around 8 a.m. No injuries were reported and no additional information has been released. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Crash the one-eyed cat wins Cadbury Bunny commercial contest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

A cat from Boise, Idaho has won the fifth annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts.Crash the one-eyed cat won out of ten rescue pets who were named finalists in the competition, including a mini horse from Andover named “Stewie Vuitton.”After breaking his leg and jaw and losing an eye after a car hit him, Crash was rescued by Simply Cats animal shelter. “He charmed his way into becoming our resident shelter cat, impressing visitors by performing tricks (high five, sit pretty, & more),” Simply Cats said in a statement. “He reminds our community that every cat is worth saving.”Cadbury says it received thousands of entries from pet parents all over the country, including everything from dogs and cats to beavers and horses.Crash will now take home the Cadbury Bunny ears and star in the 2023 “Cadbury Clucking Bunny” Easter commercial.The winner also receives a cash prize of $5,000 and another $5,000 for animal shelter of their choice.

Nazier Mulé, a 2-way prospect the Chicago Cubs drafted last year, will undergo Tommy John surgery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

Chicago Cubs two-way prospect Nazier Mulé’s professional baseball debut will be delayed.Mulé is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery next week to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, sources told the Tribune.The Cubs drafted Mulé, 18, in the fourth round last year and signed the right-hander to an above-slot $1 million bonus. During his senior high school season at Passaic Tech in New Jersey, Mulé was shut down from pitching midway through the spring because of arm fatigue.Mulé is ranked by MLB.com as the Cubs’ No. 27 prospect. A roughly 14-month rehab timeline sets up Mulé for a midseason return in 2024.Mulé’s upside is higher as a pitcher — the Cubs love his potential thanks to a fastball that can hit 100 mph and an effective slider. As a shortstop, his raw power makes him an intriguing hitter. ()

Five questions facing the Orioles as spring training winds down and roster speculation heats up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:57 GMT

Orioles spring training ends in six days.Unlike during the rebuild, the expectations are higher this spring, as the club came off a surprise 2022 season and executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has declared the goal is to make the playoffs.However, the organization has several important decisions to make in the coming days, with opening day March 30 at the Boston Red Sox fast approaching.Here are five questions facing the Orioles during the final week of spring training.Who will be the opening day starter and what will the order of the rotation be?The first half of this question is an easier guess than the second.Kyle Gibson, the 35-year-old veteran the team signed for $10 million this offseason, is the clear front-runner to get the opening nod. That contract was the largest Elias has handed out to a free agent since he took over the Orioles’ front office in November 2018.While manager Brandon Hyde isn’t announcing the team’s opening day starter ...