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Germany’s Scholz tests positive for coronavirus

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has tested positive for coronavirus, just days after EU leaders met in Brussels. “This is clearly not a surprise that I am happy about,” Scholz said Monday morning. “With few symptoms, I’m counting on a mild course and just working from my desk for now,” the German leader added. In Berlin, those suffering from COVID-19 do not have to isolate, but are urged to avoid contact with others. Scholz and other EU leaders attended the European Council summit last week, which paved the way for the historic decision to open accession talks with Ukraine. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas — who also attended the summit — tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. Kallas said it was “unfortunate news” as she was expecting to host Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk for his first foreign visit since he was sworn in last week.

Fatal hit and run outside Encore casino, Boston Police investigating

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

Just after 3 a.m. Monday Boston Police responded to Dexter and Alford streets in Charlestown, outside the Encore casino, following report of a pedestrian struck by a car.According to authorities the vehicle fled the scene. Police confirmed after 7 a.m. that the victim was pronounced dead.Traffic is impacted and being rerouted. BPD is urging motorists to seek an alternative route.https://twitter.com/bostonpolice/status/1736679897559712217This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Nearly 40,000 without power in MA as storm brings heavy wind, rain

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

Residents woke up to a stormy start of their weeks Monday, with heavy rains and strong winds blasting southern New England. Gusts of as fast as 60 to 70 miles per hour were forecast for Monday morning, with peak intensity expected from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. There is the potential for both inland flooding from the rain and minor coastal flooding from the wind, as well as possible power outages from downed trees and tree limbs.“Once the storm arrives if you are traveling please stay as far away from our crews as possible if you see them out so they have the space they need to safely do their work and make repairs,” said William Hinkle of Eversource Energy. “If you come across any downed lines, always stay as far away from those as possible as well and report them immediately to 911 and give us a call.”As of 7:30 a.m., there were nearly 40,000 power outages reported statewide according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Public transpor...

State Police investigating multiple bomb threats to Jewish communities

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

Massachusetts State Police responded to multiple bomb threats made to Jewish synagogues and affiliated facilities.The threats were received via emails sent on Sunday, Dec. 17, and authorities said they appeared to have been sent from the same email address.Authorities said these are just some of hundreds of similar threats received by Jewish institutions and organizations over the weekend.“Thus far today the State Police Bomb Squad has responded to three synagogues and a Jewish community center in Framingham, a Jewish cultural center in Tisbury, and a Jewish synagogue in Florence,” State Police said in a statement. “The Bomb Squad also conducted sweeps of a synagogue in Natick in advance of a planned event there Sunday afternoon.”No explosives or hazards were located at any site.The State Police Anti-Terrorism Unit is assisting the investigation into the source of the threats.

Biden safe after car crashes into motorcade vehicle at campaign headquarters

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

(CNN) — A car unintentionally struck an SUV in President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night, causing damage to both vehicles and appearing to startle the president as he left his campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.The US Secret Service confirmed that a vehicle in the motorcade was hit by another car as Biden got into his car. There was “no protective interest associated with this event,” Secret Service spokesperson Steve Kopek told CNN in a statement, meaning that the crash was not intentional. It had been raining heavily in Wilmington.“Today, at approximately 8:09 p.m., a Secret Service vehicle securing the President’s motorcade route was struck by another vehicle in Wilmington, DE.  There was no protective interest associated with this event and the President’s motorcade departed without incident,” Kopek said, directing further questions to the Wilmington Police Department.The crash caused a loud bang on the street, and Biden looked over to see the commot...

Hundreds of residents on Indonesian island protest the growing arrival of Rohingya refugees by sea

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

SABANG, Indonesia (AP) — More than 200 people protested Monday against the continued arrival of Rohingya refugees by boat on an island in Indonesia.Over 1,500 Rohingya, who fled violent attacks in Myanmar and now are leaving camps in neighboring Bangladesh in search of better lives, have arrived in Aceh off the tip of Sumatra since November. They have faced some hostility from fellow Muslims in Aceh.The protesters, many of them residents and students, called on authorities and the U.N. refugee agency to remove all Rohingya refugees from Sabang island. They also want humanitarian organizations helping the refugees to leave.The latest arriving boat carried 139 Rohingya, including women and children.“Our demand is to reject them all. They must leave. Because Sabang people are also having a hard time, they cannot accommodate any more people,” said one protester, Samsul Bahri.Last week, Indonesia appealed to the international community for help.Indonesia once tolerated such landings of r...

Germany’s economy seen shrinking again in the current quarter as business confidence declines

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s economy is likely to shrink again slightly in the current fourth quarter, the country’s central bank said Monday, while a survey showed business confidence retreating unexpectedly.Europe’s biggest economy contracted by 0.1% in the third quarter after growing by the same amount in the previous three-month period, according to official figures.The Bundesbank said in its monthly report that “real gross domestic product in Germany is likely to decline again slightly in the fourth quarter of 2023” as a result of weak performances in industry and constructionTwo consecutive quarters of contraction is a common definition of recession, though the economists on a panel that declares recessions in the eurozone use a broader set of data, including employment figures.Germany is the only major economy expected to shrink this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, which foresees a decline of 0.5%. The German government has forecast a decline of 0.4...

Ukraine’s military chief says one of his offices was bugged and other devices were detected

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military chief said Monday that a covert listening device was found in one of the offices where he works, and hinted without elaborating that bugs were detected in other locations.Army Cmdr. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi commented to local media about Sunday’s revelation by Ukraine’s Security Service that during a routine sweep a bug was found in a room he used. The device wasn’t working, the agency said.Suspicion immediately fell on Russia amid the almost 22-month war between the two countries that is set to grind on into another year.“I have several offices where I work. This happened in one of them,” Zaluzhnyi said. “We checked (the room) and found (the device),” he said.He added that listening devices were not only found in the office where he worked, but he didn’t provide further details and left it unclear whether more than one device was found in the Ukraine General Staff premises.The murky developments left lots of questions unanswered. Officials did not c...

1 in 4 Canadians fear income won’t cover basic needs: Salvation Army poll

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

TORONTO — A new survey suggests one in four Canadians are extremely concerned about having enough income to cover their basic needs, with the highest degree of hardship being felt by single parents.The Salvation Army released the data today as part of their annual report examining Canadians’ attitudes and experiences with poverty and related socioeconomic issues.Among single parents, closer to half are reporting extreme concern about meeting basic needs at 40 per cent, while the numbers clock in at 31 per cent for single-person households and 31 per cent for caregivers.The research by Edelman Data and Intelligence suggests one in five Canadians are eating less so their children or other family members could eat, and one in five also skipped or reduced the size of at least one meal in the last year because they couldn’t afford groceries. Those numbers jump again to nearly half for single parents.The research was conducted Oct. 12 to 19 among a nationally representative sa...

European Union investigating Musk’s X over possible breaches of social media law

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:58:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — European Union are looking into whether Elon Musk’s online platform X breached tough new social media regulations in the first such investigation since the rules designed to make online content less toxic took effect. “Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X” under the Digital Services Act, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a post on the platform Monday. “The Commission will now investigate X’s systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements,” spokesman Johannes Bahrke told a press briefing in Brussels. “It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.”The investigation will look into whether X, formerly known as Twitter, failed to do enough to curb the spread of illegal content and whether measures to combat “information manipulation,” especially through its Community Notes feature, was effective. The EU will also examine whether X was transparent enough with researchers and will look into suspicions that its use...