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Nationalist and convicted killer Igor Girkin who dared criticize Putin under arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

Igor Girkin, a former soldier-spy and critic of President Vladimir Putin’s conduct of the war against Ukraine, was detained on Friday on charges of inciting extremism after the latest in a series of diatribes against the Kremlin chief appeared to go too far.Girkin, who goes by the nom de guerre Strelkov (“Shooter”), gained notoriety in 2014 when he led a band of irregular troops into Eastern Ukraine and briefly became the breakaway region’s defense minister. He was convicted in absentia of murder by a Dutch court over his role in shooting down a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, a tragedy that cost 298 lives.The 52-year-old has since reinvented himself as an ultra-nationalist military commentator and has delivered a series of withering critiques of Russia’s war aims and strategy in Ukraine.In a statement posted to Girkin’s Telegram channel, his wife Miroslava Reginskaya said that representatives of Russia’s Investigative Committee — an anti-corruption and crime-fight...

Biden chooses Admiral Lisa Franchetti to become the first woman in US history to be top officer in the Navy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden has selected Admiral Lisa Franchetti to be the Navy’s top officer. If confirmed, she would be the first woman in the Navy’s history to hold the job, and the first woman in the joint chiefs of staff.Franchetti, who is currently serving as the vice chief of naval operations, commissioned in 1985 and has served as the commander of US Naval Forces Korea, deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development, and director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy of the Joint Staff, according to her official biography. She has also commanded two carrier strike groups, and became the Vice CNO in September 2022.Franchetti will likely join a growing contingent of senior general and flag officers, however, who are not confirmed for their next position quickly, as Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville has continued his hold of senior military nominations.Tuberville has vowed to maintain his hold in protest of Pentagon reproductive health policies that were announced e...

Inflation, interest rates and whales: Why offshore wind projects are on the rocks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

(CNN) — For as much as offshore wind energy has become a hot-button issue, the United States only has seven turbines spinning over its oceans: five off the coast of Rhode Island and two near Virginia.Those numbers could soon rise, with two larger farms expected to be completed this year off the Massachusetts and New York coasts, and more in the approval pipeline. Yet it’s still a fraction of the clean wind energy capacity that has been constructed in Europe and China — and it’s nowhere near what President Joe Biden would like to see off US coasts.Touring a Philadelphia shipyard that’s building a massive vessel to support offshore wind projects, Biden on Thursday reiterated his common refrain: “When I think climate, I think jobs.” Upon taking office, Biden set an ambitious goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030 – enough to power 10 million homes.But years of delays have prevented the fledgling US offshore wind industry from taking ...

Patrick Mendoza arraigned, held without bail after last week’s North End shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

Patrick Mendoza, the restaurant manager accused of stopping on his bike and shooting at a man in front of a popular North End bakery last week, has been located and appeared in court to face some serious charges.Police arrested Mendoza, 54, Friday, more than a week after the July 12 North End shooting, the department confirmed in a statement. A source with knowledge of the case said that Mendoza was apprehended in Falmouth down on Cape Cod.Mendoza was allowed to remain behind the door of the court’s detention area as his attorney, Rosemary Scapicchio, spoke on his behalf in Boston Municipal Court at a 2 p.m. hearing, mere hours after his arrest was announced, before Judge James W. Coffey.Mendoza faces charges including assault to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, intimidating a witness, and three charges related to unlawful possession of a gun. Coffey ordered him detained until a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday.Assistant District Attorney Daniel Nucci said tha...

Yankees believe they’re capable of much more as they host Royals after 1-5 road trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

A golden opportunity presented itself to the Yankees coming out of the All-Star break.Then 49-42 and a game out of the final American League wild card spot, the Yankees opened the second half with a chance to make up significant ground with four consecutive series against teams with losing records.They’ve failed to capitalize so far, dropping two of three to the National League-worst Rockies before being swept by an Angels team missing one superstar in the injured Mike Trout and rumored to be considering trading another in Shohei Ohtani.The Yankees, who fell to last place in the loaded AL East, rank toward the bottom of the league in runs, team batting average and OPS this season, but their players maintain hope they can still meet their high expectations.“It’s obviously frustrating because we have a great team, great players, a great pitching staff that backs us up and keeps us in it,” rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe said after the third straight loss to the ...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Invest now for better heart health later

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

By Deb Balzer, Mayo Clinic News NetworkHeart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women — in the U.S. and around the globe. Overall, men over 45 and women over 55 are more likely to have a heart attack than those who are younger.Dr. Rekha Mankad, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says it’s crucial to invest now in your heart health for better heart health later.Can a steady diet of chips, pizza, burgers and fries in your younger years affect you later?“The choices you make in your teens and 20s are going to affect you years down the road,” says Dr. Mankad.Heart disease progresses slowly, says Dr. Mankad. If you are unhealthy in your teens and 20s, you have a greater likelihood of developing risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. This risk won’t show up right away and can be silent for years. But you can make changes.“Healthy choices — such as exercising regularly, maintaining an ideal body weight, eating heal...

Elton John, Scorsese and more friends and admirers of Tony Bennett react to his death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

By The Associated PressReaction to the death of Tony Bennett at age 96:“So sad to hear of Tony’s passing. Without doubt the classiest singer, man, and performer you will ever see. He’s irreplaceable. I loved and adored him. Condolences to Susan, Danny and the family.” — Sir Elton John, via Instagram. “Tony Bennett was a consummate artist. All you have to do is listen to any one of his hundreds of recordings to recognize that. Very early on, his music quietly wove itself into the fabric of our lives. His voice felt as familiar and as close as the voices of our loved ones. I know that this was true for millions of people around the world. For Italian-Americans who were growing up in the middle of the twentieth century, that familiarity ran even deeper. At a certain point, we started to imagine that Tony would live forever. Of course he didn’t. Nobody does. But the music? That’s another story.” — Martin Scorsese, in a statemen...

Dispose of unwanted items for free at this 'Dump Day' event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- For those working on summertime cleaning and clearing projects, a free dump day event is taking place in San Diego County this weekend.On Saturday, Caltrans says the public is welcome to bring non-hazardous, unwanted household items to their Clean California Dump Day in Carlsbad. Caltrans says staff will be on-site at the Caltrans Carlsbad Maintenance Yard, located at  6050 Paseo Del Norte, to accept approved waste and debris free of charge. Defiantly delicious: New seafood eatery opens on Oceanside Pier The dump day event will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, or until capacity is reached at the site.San Diegans are asked not to bring hazardous waste like batteries, paint, oils or flammables. Other undesired items include e-waste like televisions, computers, microwaves, stereo equipment and electronics, or construction debris like concrete, dirt, asphalt and asbestos.More information on prohibited items can be found here.According to Caltrans, four mat...

Police in Guatemala search party offices of progressive presidential candidate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan agents and police raided the offices of the Seed Movement of presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo on Friday as part of an investigation into alleged wrongdoing in the party’s formation.Andrea Reyes, a lawyer and party member, confirmed that the agents and police had come to search for documents. The Attorney General’s Office also confirmed the search.In an audio recording shared with journalists, Arévalo denounced the raid as illegal and said it “is part of the political persecution that the corrupt minority that knows it is losing power day by day is carrying out to try to intimidate us, to try to derail the electoral process … to try to topple democracy.”The raid followed allegations earlier Friday by Guatemalan electoral authorities that a number of state actors were attempting to interfere with the country’s presidential election. The electoral authorities sought an order from the country’s highest court to protect the electo...

A travel guide’s warning to avoid Lake Tahoe may jolt the region into managing huge tourist crowds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:52 GMT

SAND HARBOR, Nev. (AP) — Lake Tahoe tourism officials were surprised, and a bit miffed, when a respected international travel guide put the iconic alpine lake straddling the California-Nevada line on its list of places to stay away from this year because of the harmful ecological effects of overtourism. But with an influx of visitors and new full-time residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic already forcing local leaders to revisit the decades-old conversation about overcrowding, “Fodor’s No List 2023” may have served as a wake-up call that some sort of change is necessary. “I can’t go to my own beaches anymore,” said Susan Daniels, 70, a lifelong resident of Kings Beach, California, whose parents met at a Tahoe-area ski resort in 1952. That includes her favorite, Sand Harbor, which lies just across the Nevada border and is known for its turquoise water and rock formations. “I cannot go to Sand Harbor, where I grew up, unless I get in line at 7 in the morning.” Since Fodor’...