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Greece’s prime minister makes border wall an election pledge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greece’s prime minister promised Friday to extend a wall across all of the country’s land border with Turkey as he campaigned for the country’s general election. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who called the May 21 election earlier this week, is expected later in the day to sign his center-right government’s decision to nearly double the length of the existing steel border wall over the next year. The wall currently spans 37.5 kilometers (25 miles), and the government plans to extend it by 35 kilometers over the next 12 months. More than 100 kilometers of wall will be added to that by 2026, government officials said. Border security remains a high-profile issue in Greece due to long-standing disputes with Turkey and a mass migration of refugees and migrants into the European Union during 2015-16 that largely was triggered by war in Syria and Iraq.Mitsotakis and other officials accused their political opponents from the left-wing Syriza pa...

Bulgaria heads to 5th election in 2 years, but 6th may loom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians are heading to the polls on Sunday for the country’s fifth general election in two years, amid concern over the war in nearby Ukraine, political instability, and economic woes in the European Union’s poorest member.Pollsters expect that voter fatigue and distrust in the will of politicians to fight corruption will result in a low turnout and a fragmented parliament, which will once again face an uphill battle to form a stable government.Any hesitation to go to the polls could be additionally fueled by a series of recent bomb threats that led to the closure of hundreds of schools set to host polling stations for Sunday’s vote.Cyber security experts attributed the threats to hacker groups engaged in hybrid attacks most likely linked to Russia, and said they were aimed at plunging Bulgaria into a state of fear and reducing voter turnout.Despite the basic consensus that Bulgaria should continue to be part of the European Union and NATO, there is d...

A 106-year-old from the Philippines is Vogue’s oldest ever cover model

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

 (CNN) — Vogue Philippines has revealed Apo Whang-Od as the cover star of its April issue, a move that makes the 106-year-old tattoo artist from the Philippines the oldest person ever to appear on the front of Vogue.Whang-Od — also known as Maria Oggay — has been perfecting the art of hand-tapping tattoos since she was a teen, learning under her father’s instruction.Residing in the mountain village of Buscalan, about 15 hours north of Manila, in Kalinga province, she is considered the country’s oldest mambabatok — or traditional Kalinga tattooist.Once, the hand-tapped tattoos that Whang-Od creates using just a bamboo stick, a thorn from a pomelo tree, water and coal, were earned by indigenous Butbut warriors.Now, international visitors seeking her signature geometric designs make up much of her clientele.“Heralded as the last mambabatok of her generation, she has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribe—signifying strength, bravery, and beaut...

Carole Baskin closing Tampa sanctuary, cats will be transported to Arkansas refugee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

CITRUS PARK, Fla. (WSVN) – In a statement written by Howard Baskin, husband of Carole Baskin, it was announced that Big Cat Rescue is closing down.The decision according to the Baskin’s is one worth celebrating after the Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed which bans the private possession and contact with big cats and their cubs. For years the couple has been advocating for this act and in December it was signed into law.“This is the first step to saving wild cats, in the wild, where they belong,” read the Big Cat Rescue website. The statement released said that an agreement between Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, which is an accredited sanctuary in Arkansas, and Big Cat Rescue decided that most cats would be moved to the sanctuary where the Baskin’s will continue to fund their care for the rest of their lives. “There will still be some ‘roadside’ zoos and circuses which, despite regulation by USDA, will have cats in conditions we ...

Minneapolis leaders approve agreement to revamp policing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved an agreement with the state to revamp policing, nearly three years after a city officer killed George Floyd.City officials agreed to negotiate an agreement after the Department of Human Rights issued a blistering report last year that said the police department had engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade. The City Council approved the court-enforceable settlement Friday.The state agency launched its investigation shortly after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes, disregarding the Black man’s fading pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death sparked mass protests that spread around the world. It forced a national reckoning on racial injustice and compelled the Minneapolis Police Department to begin an overhaul.Chauvin was later convicted of murder. He and three other officers who were at the sc...

Police: Body found in woods off Route 95 in Weston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

A body was found in a wooded area off of Route 95 in Weston Friday morning, according to state police.Police say the body was located in an area adjacent to the south side of the highway that may be the site of a past homeless encampment.The right lane and breakdown lane of Route 95 south remain closed until further notice.The incident remains under investigation and no additional information has been released. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Former Stoneham Police officer arrested for wire fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

A former detective sergeant for the Stoneham Police Department has been arrested and charged for allegedly providing false information in rental applications to fraudulently obtain three separate apartment leases for which he intentionally withheld rent payments, according to U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins.Robert Kennedy, 53, of Stoneham, was charged with one count of wire fraud. Kennedy is set to appear in Boston federal court Friday morningAccording to the charging document, Kennedy defrauded his last three landlords by providing materially false and misleading information in his rental applications to obtain the respective apartment leases. After moving in, prosecutors say Kennedy intentionally withhold rent payments, despite making $141,000-$187,000 a year from the Stoneham Police Department. As a result, Kennedy lived in the apartments rent-free by allegedly taking advantage of the slow eviction process. Prosecutors say Kennedy defrauded his most re...

MSPCA to hold first-ever fee-waived adoptathon for goats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

The MSPCA is holding its first-ever fee-waived adoptathon for goats on April 1 and 2. to try to find homes for forty-seven goats. The goal of the two-day event is to try to find homes for 47 goats, which is well more than are usually housed on the property. “In the winter of 2022, we seized close to 100 goats from a single property in Dighton—and some were pregnant,” said Mike Keiley, MSPCA-Angell director of adoption centers and programs. “So, we ended up with more than 100 goats, many of which still need homes.”“Prior to that, we generally never had more than a couple with us, and they were always adopted quickly,” he added. “We’ve never had a fee-waived adoptathon for goats, but they’ve been successful finding homes for small animals in the past, so we’re employing the same method here in order t...

Dansby Swanson stars in his Chicago Cubs debut, a 4-0 opening-day win: ‘I’m really soaking up these moments’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

Dansby Swanson needed only one game to understand how “Go, Cubs, Go” hits differently when the tune resonates at Wrigley Field while wearing the home pinstripes.Swanson’s Chicago Cubs debut Thursday encompassed exactly what the organization expected in the all-around shortstop when they signed him to a seven-year, $177 million contract in the offseason. He became the first Cub to have three hits in his team debut since, fittingly, Nico Hoerner on Sept. 9, 2019. The duo teamed up to turn an inning-ending double play in the top of the third inning to help right-hander Marcus Stroman escape the bases-loaded jam.Swanson also drove in a run, the Cubs’ first of the season, to spark a four-run third en route to a 4-0 opening-day win against the Milwaukee Brewers. A day that began with an early wake up and prayer ended with Swanson putting a rough offensive spring performance behind him to lead the Cubs to a complete win in front of contingent of supporters that incl...

Bruins’ top prospect Mason Lohrei signs ATO with Providence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:36 GMT

The Bruins’ top amateur prospect took the next big step in his career on Friday.Defenseman Mason Lohrei eschewed two years of NCAA eligibility at Ohio State and signed an amateur tryout contract to play for the Providence Bruins. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound should get some valuable pro experience while playing for the playoff-bound P-Bruins.A late bloomer, the 22-year-old Lohrei had an excellent career in Columbus after the B’s chose him in the second round (58th overall) in the 2020 draft when he was still a member of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers.The Verona, Wisconsin native spent another season with the Gamblers before moving on to the Buckeyes, for whom he had 4-25-29 totals in 31 games his freshman season. In his sophomore season, which ended on Sunday when OSU was ousted by Quinnipiac from the NCAA tournament, he had 4-28-32 totals in 40 games after starting slowly while bouncing back from a knee injury.It is difficult to see Lohrei — a big, offensive-minde...