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British media say former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrested by police investigating party’s finances.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British media say former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrested by police investigating party’s finances.Source

Elevated section of heavily traveled I-95 collapses in Philadelphia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed early Sunday in Philadelphia after a vehicle caught fire, closing the main north-south highway on the East Coast and threatening to upend travel in parts of the densely populated Northeast, authorities said.Transportation officials warned of extensive delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area. Early reports indicated that the vehicle may have been a tanker truck, but officials could not immediately confirm that. The fire was reported to be under control.Video from the scene showed a massive concrete slab had fallen from I-95 onto the road below in northeast Philadelphia. There were no immediate reports of injuries.The northbound lanes of I-95 were gone, and the southbound lanes were “compromised” due to heat from the fire, said Derek Bowmer, battalion chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department. Runoff from the fire or perhaps broken gas lines were causing explosions underground, he added.Mark Fuse...

EU considers more than €1B of aid to Tunisia in effort to reduce migration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

The European Union is ready to support Tunisia with a total of more than €1 billion of aid in return for better border control and measures against human smuggling “as soon as the necessary agreement is found,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The Commission is considering up to €900 million in macro-financial assistance, and “as an immediate step we could provide up to €150 million in budget support right now,” von der Leyen said on Sunday in a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during a visit to Tunis.After a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied in the capital, von der Leyen announced that together they would work on a “comprehensive five-pillar package,” which includes “increased trade and investment” and “mutually beneficial energy cooperation.” The EU was also ready to provide Tunisia with €100 million for border management...

Man collided with a parked police cruiser, charged with DUI

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

A Nashua man was arrested and charged with a DUI Sunday when he allegedly struck a Hollis police cruiser parked on the side of the road and kept driving on Sunday morning, officials said.Around 1:30 a.m., Hollis police offers were conducting a traffic stop on the westbound side of Proctor Hill Road when Brady Raye, 32, attempted to flee after colliding with the car.Police “were able to get the vehicle to stop,” noticed signs of impairment, and took Raye into custody. He’s now facing charges of a DUI, Conduct After an Accident and Criminal Mischief.

A black bear was spotted running through Newton: ‘Please do not approach the bear’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

The latest black bear sighting in eastern Massachusetts happened in Newton Sunday morning, as police officers monitored the animal’s location and residents were told to avoid the roaming bear.The Massachusetts Environmental Police were alerted to the black bear spotting after the city received reports of the bear running through Newton Highlands near Cold Spring Park.“Our officers are watching its location,” Newton Police wrote on social media. “The Environmental Police have been notified.“Please do not approach any wildlife and keep a safe distance,” police added. “If sighted, you can contact the non-emergency line at 617-796-2123.”The City of Newton Mayor’s Office shared a photo of the bear.“Newton Police are watching its location,” the mayor’s office added. “Please do not approach the bear.”In the mid-1970s, the Massachusetts black bear population was estimated at under 100 individuals.Today, ther...

Pedestrian critically injured in hit-and-run

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A pedestrian was critically injured after being struck by a vehicle in the University Heights neighborhood Saturday night, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, the incident occurred around 8:48 p.m. when a 47-year-old man was standing near the bus lane just east of the east crosswalk at 1800 El Cajon Blvd. Police activity in Oceanside ends; suspect arrested At that same time, a vehicle was traveling north on Park Boulevard and made a right eastbound turn onto El Cajon Boulevard, striking the pedestrian, police explained. Authorities say the pedestrian was unconscious at the scene and suffered from a laceration to the back of the head, right shoulder fracture, scattered brain bleeds and minor abrasions.Meanwhile, the vehicle, which was described as a dark colored Honda Civic or BMW 3 series, fled eastbound on El Cajon Boulevard, SDPD said. Fault is yet to be determined in this crash. SDPD's Traffic Division officers responded to the scene and...

‘Transformers’ edge out ‘Spider-Verse’ to claim first place at box office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

It was Miles Morales and the Spider-Verse versus the “Transformers” at the box office this weekend and the bots came out on top. “ Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” the seventh entry in the series, took the No. 1 spot in its first weekend in North American theaters with $60.5 million according to studio estimates Sunday. “ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ” wasn’t too far behind, however, with an estimated $55.4 million in its second weekend.Paramount Pictures released “Rise of the Beasts” in 3,678 locations starting with Thursday previews. Set in 1994, it’s technically a sequel to the 1980s-set “Bumblebee” and a prequel to the other films. With a new cast led by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback and a new director in Steven Caple Jr., it’s also an attempt to reset and breathe fresh life into the $4.8 billion franchise.Critics didn’t love the movie, but that’s also par for the course for this franchise. Overall, Rotten Tomatoes aggregated a less-than-fresh 5...

Pakistan’s army says shootout near Afghan border kills 3 soldiers, 3 militants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants attacked a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that left three soldiers and three militants dead, the army said Sunday.Four militants were also wounded, the military said in a statement.The overnight shootout early Saturday took place in the Miran Shah tribal area of North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.The Pakistani army carried out search operations to track down those responsible for the attack. They also seized a cache of ammunition found with the dead militants.The military said it was “determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism.”Although the army says it has cleared North Waziristan of militants, occasional attacks and shootouts continue, raising concerns that the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, are regrouping in the area.Though a separate group, the TTP...

SEC lawsuits against cryptocurrency companies raise questions about industry’s future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — First came the crypto winter, then the alleged fraud wrought by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and now the lawsuits. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed lawsuits last week against the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance and Coinbase, deepening tensions between the government and a volatile industry that has been marred by scandals and market meltdowns.Binance and Coinbase are both alleged to have violated the law by operating as securities exchanges without registering their businesses with the SEC. Binance faces additional charges, along with its CEO, of diverting customer funds to a separate business, among other accusations. Most recently, the SEC asked a federal judge to freeze the assets of Binance’s U.S. platform. The lawsuits are the latest in an ongoing tussle between government officials who describe the crypto industry as the “ Wild West,” and creators of digital assets who seek to legitimize cryptocurrency as a currency ...

Ukraine says it recaptured a village; Russia insists it is repelling attacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:05:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military on Sunday reported recapturing a village in the southeast of the country amid Russian claims of repelling multiple attacks in the area, the latest indication that a highly anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive might be underway even as officials in Kyiv stop short of publicly acknowledging it.The 68th Separate Hunting Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces posted a video on Facebook showing soldiers installing a Ukrainian flag on a damaged building in what the post said was the village of Blahodatne in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region. In a separate social media post, Ukraine’s Ground Forces confirmed that the brigade had retaken Blahodatne. Myroslav Semeniuk, spokesman for the brigade, told The Associated Press that an assault team captured six Russian troops after entering several buildings where some 60 soldiers were holed up. “The enemy keeps shelling us but this won’t stop us,” Semeniuk said. “The next village we ...